At the meeting, which brought together peasant confederations, representatives of wholesale markets and members of the association, the authority highlighted the drop in inflation to 41% per quarter, the increase in foreign investment and the growth forecast of 2.7% per quarter for this year. In addition, he referred to the progress made by the forestry and agricultural sector and the challenges that remain to be addressed.
This morning, the Undersecretary of Agriculture, Ignacia Fernández, arrived at the Santiago Metropolitan Center to participate in the Seminar “How is the 2024-2025 season coming?”, the annual event held by the National Society of Agriculture (SNA), to analyze the challenges and opportunities that the sector will face during that period.
At the event, which brought together authorities, peasant confederations, representatives of wholesale markets and SNA partners, Undersecretary Fernández presented the balance sheet prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture and the main axes that guide the Government's program in this area. In this regard, she emphasized the improvement in the economy, highlighting the drop in inflation to 41% per quarter, the increase in foreign investment and the growth projection of 2.7% per quarter for this year. She also referred to the provisional scenario presented by national agriculture, after complex years marked by the pressure of high fertilizer and energy costs.
On this occasion, the authority also highlighted the achievements obtained thanks to the Sustainable Agro-Export Competitiveness Agenda promoted by the Government of President Gabriel Boric during the second half of 2023 to diversify Chilean agricultural exports, the opening of a new Chilean agricultural attaché office in Vietnam and the opening of exports of fresh peaches and apricots to China, among other actions. In addition to the above, he highlighted the work carried out to strengthen food security in the country, through 80 actions, such as the new Irrigation Law and the strengthening of phytosanitary and zoosanitary protection.
“The Government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, faces three fundamental challenges. The first is to strengthen productivity and competitiveness, always safeguarding sustainability, in addition to the adjustments imposed by climate change. The second is agro-export production versus production for the domestic market and a strong concern for food security and, from that perspective, national consumption,” Undersecretary Fernández explained that the third axis focuses on “rural development, with a comprehensive, innovative and proactive approach. All of the above is only possible by working together with the different sectors, generating and strengthening public-private alliances that allow us to build this vision for the future.”
Likewise, the president of the National Society of Agriculture, Antonio Walker, predicted a better season than previous ones and highlighted the positive performance of fresh fruit thanks to good production, a favorable exchange rate and good price. He also addressed the complications that some sectors are facing and the structural solutions proposed by the SNA. “We know that their future opportunities far outweigh their current problems. It only depends on good policy and working together,” he pointed out.
He also referred to the crisis faced by wheat producers and the efforts being made to address this problem, and stressed the need to boost the promotion of Chilean wine in international markets.
In this context, Undersecretary Ignacia Fernández also mentioned the challenges that require the Government's commitment, such as the water crisis affecting the province of Limarí, in the Coquimbo region. Faced with this situation, the authority detailed that, this week, the delivery of animal feed and the execution of the Silvo-Agricultural Impact Survey in the area began, to which will be added in the short term, the prospecting of wells, the deepening of existing ones and the search for groundwater.
Finally, he highlighted the recent approval by the Chamber of Deputies of the law that creates the System of Incentives for Sustainable Soil Management (SIGESS), designed to enable farmers to adapt to the effects caused by climate change and improve the properties of soils that produce food.
