Agriculture is one of the main economic activities in Chile, accounting for 28% of the country’s total trade and 11% of its total GDP. Approximately 10% of the country’s labor force is engaged in agriculture and related services. Chile’s economy is driven by exports, concentrated primarily in copper and its agricultural sectors: fresh fruit, forestry and fishery products. The agriculture sector is projected to grow by approximately 5% in 2019 (above the country’s economic projected growth of 3.0%) according to SNA, Chile’s National Agriculture Society. After the sector’s impressive growth by 9.5% in 2015, and 3.7% in 2016, the industry dropped to 2.5% in 2017, mainly due to low production of livestock and poultry, and low crop production, especially corn. However, agriculture recuperated growing by 5.8% in 2018, becoming the fastest growing sector. Chile is the world’s largest exporter of fresh table grapes, blueberries, prunes, dehydrated apples, and frozen salmon fillets.
