July 25, 2024 #ChileGlobal

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Agriculture highlight publication of Systems Approach

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This protocol replaces the fumigation of this product that is sent to the U.S. with a series of mitigation measures, improving the quality and condition of this fruit in the destination market. This milestone will benefit growers in the regions of Atacama, Coquimbo and part of Valparaíso.

The Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Alberto van Klaveren, and of Agriculture, Esteban Valenzuela, together with the Undersecretary of International Economic Relations, Claudia Sanhueza, met with representatives of fruit exporters and producers, Frutas de Chile and Fedefruta, to highlight the publication by the United States of the Systems Approach for Chilean table grapes.

This protocol, which has been under negotiation for the past 24 years, replaces methyl bromide fumigation of table grapes shipped to the United States with a series of mitigation measures at origin, improving the quality and condition of this fruit in the destination market. This milestone will benefit table grapes from the regions of Atacama, Coquimbo and part of Valparaíso, which are major producers and exporters of this product to the U.S. market.

Foreign Minister Alberto van Klaveren highlighted the public-private work, led by the Undersecretariat for International Economic Relations (Subrei), which allowed the publication of the Systems Approach: "This will facilitate and improve the export conditions of one of Chile's star products, table grapes. This is the result of a negotiation that has been going on for more than 20 years, in which Chile always aspired to be able to export table grapes from Atacama, Coquimbo and Valparaíso without fumigation. Today we can celebrate the agreement that resulted from this negotiation".

The Minister of Agriculture, Esteban Valenzuela, added: "We are celebrating because, together with cherries, which represent two billion dollars in exports, table grapes add up to more than one billion. A very important number of these exports, the majority, go to the North American market. And we are talking about the three regions that can export without fumigation, without methyl bromide, are going to earn around one dollar per kilo, thanks to this new system." "We continue working with SAG, Fedefruta and Frutas de Chile to incorporate -we hope in the near future- the Metropolitan Region and the O`Higgins Region, which are also important in the production of table grapes," he added.

Finally, Undersecretary Claudia Sanhueza said that "thanks to continuous dialogue, we have reached an agreement that materializes in real benefits for our regions through the agricultural sector. Part of our functions is to talk with the authorities abroad in order to achieve progress in the regulatory field that will enable our products to be better positioned in international markets. And this requires dialogue and conversations, and we are permanently advancing along these lines.

Analysis of public-private labor unions

The meeting was attended by the director of SAG, José Guajardo Reyes;the director of the Office of Agricultural Studies and Policies (Odepa), Andrea García, and, on behalf of the unions, Miguel Canala-Echeverría, general manager of Frutas de Chile; Rodrigo Gallardo, general secretary of Frutas de Chile, and Juan Carlos Sepúlveda, union director of Fedefruta.

The general manager of Frutas de Chile, Miguel Canala-Echeverría, highlighted the work of the authorities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Subrei, the Ministry of Agriculture, SAG, and the Chilean Embassy in the USA. "Having achieved the Systems Approach for our table grape exports is a clear demonstration that when the public and private sectors unite for a common goal, it is possible to succeed. We are also celebrating the fact that Chile regained its leadership as a world exporter of fresh grapes, with more than 64 million boxes shipped to the world, a 7% increase over last season, of which 62% were of new varieties. Of the total shipped to the world, 60% was destined for the United States".

"From next season we will be able to start shipping fresh grapes from Atacama, Coquimbo and part of Valparaíso. These regions export more than 31 million boxes to the world and more than 50% of that amount is destined for the U.S. market. These grapes will arrive unfumigated, competing on an equal footing with competing countries such as Peru," Canala-Echeverría added.

For his part, the manager of Fedefruta, Juan Carlos Sepúlveda said that "On behalf of the producers, we would like to thank this solution to an issue that has been dragging on for many years. We would like to highlight the work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Agriculture and all its services, and the Subrei, which have managed to solve a major problem that affected our table grape growers, who have suffered a fairly severe drought over the last 20 years, and this relieves a burden for growers, especially grape growers, to arrive with a quality product to the United States, which not only benefits growers but the entire industry".



After the publication of the Systems Approach last Friday, the next step will be the approval of the operational work plan between the Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG) and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the United States, who after agreeing on these terms will begin the field inspections that will enable exporters in the northern and central zone to export without fumigation.


In 2023, Chilean table grape exports to the world totaled US$ 905 million, reaching 72 destinations worldwide. Shipments to the United States totaled US$ 433 million, being the main destination of shipments, accounting for 47.8% of Chilean shipments of fresh grapes.

In addition, 128 companies registered table grape shipments to the United States, which together generate more than 39,000 direct jobs, and nine regions of the country registered shipments of this product to the U.S. market: O'Higgins, Atacama, Valparaíso, Coquimbo, Metropolitana and Maule.

Check the original note on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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