Chilean Agriculture Minister José Galileaå

Chilean Agriculture Minister José Antonio Galilea

The Chilean nut industry is looking to gain access to the Korean market by 2012 following a trade mission by Chilean Agriculture Minister José Antonio Galilea to China, Korea and France at the end of April.

According to the Chilean Walnut Commission, the Korean market consumes 7,600 tonnes of in-shell and shelled nuts each year, of which more than 6,000 tonnes are imported.

Minister Galilea considers Korea as a highly attractive market because Chile products can enter tariff free thanks to the Free Trade Agreement between the two nations.

He also claims Chilean nuts are of high quality, which presents a competitive advantage for the country’s suppliers.