Chile

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Why Chile

Chile is one of the most competitive and stable economy in Latin America, with a modern infrastructure and a high dynamicity in commerce, thanks to the high number of free trade agreements signed with Asia, Europe, North America and Latin America. Chile has a population of 16.6 million inhabitants and a GDP estimated in 2008 at 245,03 billion of US dollars. This latter has decreased by 4.5% in the second quarter of 2009 over the same period last year. The sharpest decline has occurred in the fisheries sector, followed by trade, transportation, construction, agriculture; while agro-forestry and mining were the least affected.

In 2008, total imports from Italy were about 783.4 million dollars FOB, once again demonstrating a good market for investment opportunities and business development for Italy.

Investment opportunities in Chile

Agro-food industry

With a total of 4.000 km of farmland, this sector reaches the top in the world with table grapes, plums, kiwis and avocados, blueberries, apples, peaches, nectarines and blackberries. In 2007, it reached a total of 2.655 billion US dollars of exports. 
The main interests of Chile are:

• foreign companies which cultivate berries and nuts, willing to invest with local partners, enterprises and fruit nurseries, companies engaged in organic agriculture, leading companies in precision agriculture and fruit pulp development;
• Investors for frozen food processing plants and for food canning and drying equipments;
• companies involved in the production of chocolate, sweets, baby food and fruit pastes;
• companies active in the field of plastic packaging, cardboard and wood, labelling, thermal film and accessories for other types of packaging;
• companies involved in the agro-chemicals, environmental control, storage and refrigeration systems, robotic and/or automated machineries for agriculture.

Biotechnology

• Biotechnology is among Chile’s development priorities. This sector grew by 30% in recent years, and has particularly focused on the pharmaceutical sector, agriculture and veterinary medicine. Currently there are 166 institutions that deal with biotechnology.
• Among Chile’s interests, the development of biotechnology is necessary to improve competitiveness in key export sectors and to create innovative products.

Renewable Energies

• Given the limited fossil fuel resources, and being forced to import from neighbouring countries, Chile has refined its energy policy, partly because of prices increase in 2004.
• Chile has an electricity production capacity equivalent to 10%. Chile's Government has committed to take all necessary measures to ensure that by 2010 15% of energy generated will be sourced from renewable energy.
• In 2007, 41.5% of energy was produced using renewable energy sources: hydropower counted for 40%, wind energy and biomass for the remaining 1.5% .
• In 2006, the total absorption of power by the public sector was 12.132 MW, of which 7.400 MW produced from heat energy and 4.730 MW from hydropower.
• Thanks to the strong presence of desert areas in the north of the country, Chile has a high potential of solar energy.
• With a quantity of 69.245 tonnes per year of biomass, Chile can produce not only biogas but also second-generation biofuel. Moreover, Chile has a vast costal area favourable for the production of wind energy.
• Chile has encouraged the development of hydroelectric projects and, given the large amount of waste from agriculture and forestry coming from different regions, also promotes renewable energy generation from organic waste.
• In the city of Santiago is being realized the "Ciudad Parque Bicentenal" (Bicentenary Park City, BPC), based on the criteria of environmental sustainability and reduction of energy consumption in major public and private components of the project.

Main areas of investment in Chile:

Mining

• Chile produces 5.3 million tonnes of copper, covering about 50% of total exports.
• The main interests of Chile in this sector are the investments directed to: water desalination, exploration of new water resources, more efficient use of water technologies for mineral exploration, agricultural machinery for the exploitation of subsoil mining (extraction and waste), maintenance of electromechanical equipment, research information technology, engineering applications in water and energy resources.

Fishing

• Chile has 4.300 km of coastline. Main seafood products are: anchovies, sardines and mackerel (from which they obtain fishmeal mainly exported to Asian market).
• Regions active in this field are: the north area (regions I-IV) which counts on an important industrial fishing fleet and the south area (region VX) which counts on traditional fishingl boats.
• Fisheries industrially process cod and hake in both centre-south areas (regions VX) and in south-austral areas (regions X-XII).
• In regards of fishing industry, Chile is interested in modern fishing industrial technologies systems, commerce techniques and aquaculture projects.