Search

In 2014, agriculture (including livestock and forestry but excluding fishing) contributed 3.9% of GDP in current pesos, which is greater than in 2009 (2.8%) (Table 4.1). However, since 2009 the sector's growth has been erratic due to the global financial crisis, climate problems and the earthquake of 2010. The sector continues to be an important source of employment, absorbing 8.6% of the economically active population in 2014.

(…) despite the existence of abundant water resources in some parts of the country, there is a water shortage in the central and northern parts of Chile, where most of the mining and farming, activities that consume large amounts of water, is carried out. Therefore, in order to increase the availability of water, Chile is in the process of building reservoirs and small regional dams and introducing methods of making more efficient use of the resource and crop varieties that require less water.

(…) The Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG) is the body responsible for sanitary and phytosanitary protection, as well as for renewable natural resources; the SAG is also required to facilitate export and import trade and to supervise the process of certification of export products. The National Forest Corporation (CONAF) is the entity responsible for promoting the sustainable use of the country's forest resources, administering the instruments for the development of forestry and promoting the generation of environmental services. (...)

Chile has a 4,300 km long coastline and within its exclusive economic zone there are highly productive eco systems. These have endowed the country with almost unique advantages as a producer of highly valued fishery resources in great demand on world markets, enabling it to position itself among the top ten fishery resource producers in the world.

One of the most important changes in the fisheries sector since the last review is the amendment, in 2013, of the General Law on Fishing and Aquaculture of 1991, which included provisions for ensuring the sustainability of hydrobiological resources. In particular, the conditions of access to industrial and small scale fishing activities were modified and new provisions for supervising fishery resources were included. In the aquaculture subsector the most important changes concerned environmental and health issues. By virtue of Supreme Decree No. 72 of 13 June 2011, the sanitary requirements for importing hydrobiological species were adapted to the OIE risk analysis.

The Undersecretariat of Fishing and Aquaculture of the Ministry of the Economy is the agency responsible for formulating fishing and aquaculture policy. The Undersecretariat is divided into various services with different mandates. These include: the Fisheries Administration Fund (FAP), responsible for promoting and developing small scale fishing and for implementing programmes for the surveillance, supervision and administration of activities associated with small scale and recreational fishing; the Fishing and Aquaculture Research Fund (FIP), which finances studies needed to underpin the adoption of fishery and aquaculture management measures; the National Fishing Council (CNP), responsible for providing the Undersecretariat of Fishing with opinions, recommendations and technical reports on all the matters indicated in the General Law on Fishing and Aquaculture; and the National Fisheries Service (SERNAPESCA), which verifies compliance with the fishing and aquaculture regulations, provides services to facilitate their implementation, and is responsible for the sanitary supervision of the sector. Other bodies involved with the sector include: the Institute for the Promotion of Fishing (IFOP); the National Aquaculture Commission; the Management Committees for the various species; and the Zonal Fishing Councils.

Chile has four types of regime for granting access to fishery resources. For each regime there is a different fishing permit: for the general access regime fishing authorizations are granted; for the fully exploited fisheries regimes licences are granted; and for the recovering and incipient fisheries regimes special permits are granted. In general, if the applicant is a natural person, he must be a Chilean or a foreigner with a permanent residence permit, and if the applicant is a legal person, it must be lawfully established in Chile. The aquaculture subsector continues to be of major importance for Chile since it is one of its main export industries. Aquaculture concessions are granted for a renewable period of 25 years, and may be transferred. There are no nationality restrictions.

Chile has four types of regime for granting access to fishery resources: (i) a general access regime; (ii) a regime for species being fully exploited ; (iii) a recovering fisheries regime; and (iv) an incipient fisheries regime. For each regime there is a different fishing permit: for the general access regime fishing authorizations are granted; for the fully exploited fisheries regime licences are granted; and for the recovering and incipient fisheries regimes special permits are granted.

Overexploited fisheries are declared to be in the recovering fisheries regime. When a fishery is declared to be in the recovery regime, all the fishing authorizations relating to that fishery expire. In this case, the Undersecretariat of Fishing may only award, by competitive bidding, the right to catch, each year, the equivalent, in tonnes, of 10% of the global industrial catch quota. However, before the auction is held, it has to be determined how the global catch quota will be divided up between the small scale fishing sector and the part of the quota to be auctioned. For incipient fisheries, as for recovering fisheries, each year the Undersecretariat will award, by competitive bidding, the right to catch the equivalent, in tonnes, of 10% of the industrial fraction of the global catch quota. Only 50% of the global quota is auctioned and the rest of the global catch quota is reserved for the small scale fishing sector for a period of three years.

Chile hopes that the negotiations subsequent to the Ninth WTO Ministerial Conference held in Bali (Indonesia) in December 2013 will make it possible to conclude the Doha Round as soon as possible, with agreements on all elements of the agenda and a special focus on development. (...) It is also working to improve trade standards, in particular to avoid the excessive use of anti dumping measures, eliminate fisheries subsidies , and revise the dispute settlement provisions.