Chile's solid position as one of the world's great agri-food powerhouses is largely due to its current agro-export dominance. Not surprisingly, it is the largest supplier of fresh fruit in the Southern Hemisphere and has just broken its historic export record for goods in the first month of the year in January with US$10.68 billion, thanks to the $1.771 billion registered by the fruit sector. By crop, cherries continue to lead and European hazelnuts are making a strong entrance. Table grapes are contracting in volume but increasing in value thanks to varietal conversion and intensive use of fertigation solutions and biostimulants. Chile's bioinput market is already estimated at $150 million. Manel González reports.
Chile exported 3,046,604 tonnes of fresh fruit in 2025, 18% more than the previous year according to data from the Southern Hemisphere Fruit Alliance, with a value exceeding $8.6 billion. These figures continue to position the country as the largest fresh fruit exporter in the southern half of the planet. At the top of the podium remains cherries, the star product, with 625,246 tonnes exported in the 2024-25 season, representing 51% growth compared to the previous year and 15% above the five-year average. They are followed by table grapes (556,968 tonnes, +5% year-on-year) and apples (585,210 tonnes, +12% year-on-year).
Behind all these numbers lies a quiet but forceful metamorphosis both in crop configuration and production technologies, as relevant actors in Chilean agriculture tell us—and agree. According to Daniela Acuña, acting national director of the Office of Agricultural Studies and Policies (ODEPA), under Chile's Ministry of Agriculture, "the transformation of Chilean fruit growing toward systems of greater added value and sophistication has also generated relevant changes in agronomic management, use of technologies, and plant nutrition strategies. In export-oriented production, there is a growing need for greater precision in water and nutrient application, especially in scenarios of water restriction and greater quality and safety requirements from international markets."
Current crop map According to the most updated data from ODEPA's fruit registries, the cherry surface area in Chile reaches 77,766 hectares (ha), concentrated in the Maule (42.2%) and O'Higgins (38.5%) regions. European hazelnut, the 'unexpected' surprise crop, now totals 49,264 ha, distributed mainly in Maule (44.4%), La Araucanía (19.8%), and Ñuble (18%). Walnut remains at 41,722 ha, with a strong presence in the Metropolitan Region (34.2%), Maule (22.5%), and O'Higgins (17.6%). Avocado occupies 32,918 ha, of which61.5% is concentrated in the Valparaíso Region.
In contrast, table grapes have reduced their surface area to 31,326 ha, but maintain their relevance thanks to varietal conversion.
The producing regions are O'Higgins (28.5%), Valparaíso (23.9%), Atacama (16.9%), and Coquimbo (16.5%). Blueberries, meanwhile, total 14,020 ha, with a more southern distribution: Maule (31.6%), Ñuble (23%), La Araucanía (11.7%), Biobío (11.5%), and Los Ríos (10.3%).
Francisco Contardo, executive director of the Foundation for Communications, Training and Agricultural Culture (FUCOA), also under the Ministry of Agriculture, notes that, "Chile has a great counter-seasonal advantage for our agriculture compared to the Northern Hemisphere. This generates great potential for fruit exports. [...] Farmers are also setting their sights on other fruits that are growing strongly. The case of European hazelnut cultivated in Chile is impressive. The country has positive soil and climate conditions for its cultivation in much of the territory. [...] In 2025, the global hazelnut market is estimated at $12.3 billion; a market where Turkey, Italy, and the United States are the largest producers, and where Chile already emerges as the second-largest exporter, after Turkey."
In fact, the European hazelnut surface area has grown 174% in five years, from 18,000 ha in 2019 to the current 49,264 ha. Large international processing companies, such as the Ferrero group through its subsidiary AgriChile, have begun operations in the country attracted by the possibility of large-scale, mechanized cultivation in a model very different from traditional Turkish producers.
Efficient irrigation: undisputed leadership of drip irrigation According to the VIII National Agricultural and Forestry Census,the irrigated agricultural area in Chile is in the range of 785,000 to 902,000 ha, depending on the study methodology. In this context, the country presents "one of the highest levels of adoption of efficient irrigation technologies in Latin America," in the words of José Miguel Morán Messen, executive director of the Irrigation and
Drainage Trade Association (AGRYD). And drip irrigation can be considered the pillar supporting precision nutrition in the country: "About 331,000 ha use micro-irrigation systems and approximately 299,000 ha correspond specifically to drip or tape irrigation, representing more than 90% of all the country's micro-irrigation surface area." This dominance of drip irrigation has, for Morán Messen, its direct explanation in the development of export fruit growing, "where efficiency in water use, application uniformity, and the possibility of incorporating precision fertigation constitute essential factors for competitiveness."
Recent public policies on irrigation appear to contribute to this. According to Jorge Marín, advisor to the executive directorate of the National Irrigation Commission, the current government's plans are focused "on advancing toward structural water security, where irrigation is a structural pillar. [...] Regarding fertigation, although the Irrigation Law is mainly focused on water efficiency, many of the modernization projects supported by our Commission allow the incorporation of precision fertigation solutions, sensors, and automation, particularly in pressurized irrigation systems."
"Crops such as cherry, European hazelnut, and table grape show particularly high incorporation of modernized irrigation," adds Acuña. Specifically, cherry registers about 40,000 ha under micro-irrigation, mainly through drip or tape; European hazelnut exceeds 28,000 ha with the same system, practically all by drip; and table grape exceeds 24,000 ha, also mostly by drip."
Protected crops: more than 8,000 ha of protected cherry In fruit production, 7,947 ha are registered under netting, 9,840 ha under roofing, and 1,592 ha under tunnels. In a regional breakdown, O'Higgins (4,012 ha under protective structures), Valparaíso (3,980 ha), Metropolitan (3,295 ha), and Maule (3,084 ha) stand out. Cherry concentrates the largest area under this type of structure, with 8,196 ha, mainly under roofing and netting. Table grapes register 4,463 ha under protection and berries 2,795 ha, mainly tunnels.
In vegetable production, 4,027 ha are counted under some type of protective structure. The main category corresponds to greenhouses with 2,412 ha, followed by anti-aphid cages or nets with 1,014 ha and tunnels with 458 ha. Tomato is the main vegetable under cover, with 1,697 ha.
Specialized fertilizers: a market in full transformation? Following the general trend, the Chilean specialized fertilizer market is also experiencing an evolution toward products of greater efficiency and lower environmental impact.
"In the country's high-profitability orchards, traditional nutrition has become more sophisticated," argues Patricia Villarreal, executive director of the National Association of Manufacturers and Importers of Agricultural Phytosanitary Products (AFIPA). This leads to the types of fertilizers most demanded by Chilean farmers currently being, according to this organization, high-purity solubles (free of chlorides and sodium) for automated fertigation, followed very closely by high-stability micronutrient chelates (especially zinc, manganese, and iron in the form of Fe-EDDHA for calcareous soils in the north/center) and controlled-release fertilizers (CRF) for establishing modern orchards.
The AFIPA representative does not believe that conventional fertilizers will disappear in the coming years. She considers, however, that there will be a deepening of a "mixed input economy where the value per hectare grows steadily." Base granulated fertilizers will continue to maintain their status, but market growth will come fundamentally from three categories: anti-stress biostimulants, soil microorganisms, and specialized soluble fertilizers for fertigation.
The general manager of Compo Expert Chile, Willian Rojo, does emphasize, for his part, the existence of a certain replacement of conventional fertilizers with specialty ones, "especially in the most profitable fruit trees (cherries, kiwis, hazelnuts, or table grapes). However, complementarity is seen in quite a few production areas."
"The arguments that work best with Chilean farmers (for controlled-release fertilizers) correspond to obtaining greater efficiency, less
leaching, and less contamination of groundwater, which certifiers and export markets currently clearly demand and give value to the field for sustainability reasons," he notes. He also mentions the "great challenge" of getting fruit to travel long distances and for long periods. For cherry and grape, the main protagonists are calcium "to maintain fruit firmness on 30- to 50-day trips to destination markets," magnesium "to favour photosynthesis and dry matter accumulation," and potassium "to facilitate colour, soluble solids, and ripening."
Bioinputs: $150 million and accelerated growth Bioinputs are the most dynamic segment within the agricultural input sector in Chile, as supported by AFIPA's executive director: they total between $120 and $150 million, considering all their varieties. Specifically, biostimulants represent the most accelerated growth, spurred by "the urgent need for climate resilience (against late frosts, extreme heat waves, and prolonged drought) in the critical windows of export fruit trees, in addition to having a slightly more fluid commercial entry process than a biopesticide in Chile." As Villarreal points out, in the medium and large producer segments oriented toward export (which represent most of the exported value in cherry and table grape), the use of biostimulants is no longer a novelty but part of the standard agronomic management program.
Chile's biological input market is distributed as follows: 45%-50% biostimulants, whose key components are seaweed extracts (Durvillaea antarctica, Ascophyllum nodosum), amino acids of marine or animal origin, and humic/fulvic acids; biopesticides and biocontrol represent 30%-35% of the total, composed of strains of Trichoderma, Bacillus subtilis, and botanical extracts (such as quillay); and 15%-20% for biofertilizers with soluble bacterial inoculants and nitrogen-fixing/solubilizing mycorrhizae.
Among the biostimulants most used by Chilean farmers, AFIPA introduces the percentage of 38% for those based on marine algae, followed by amino acids (protein hydrolysates) with a third of the offering and humic and fulvic substances with around 20%.
From his company's commercial experience, Willian Rojo confirms this trend: "Due to the high quality demanded of fruit in export markets, practically 100% of producers use this type of technology. [...] In the case of Compo Expert Chile, currently the best-selling products are biostimulants derived from algae extracts based on Ecklonia maxima and the other line corresponds to amendments based on humic and fulvic acids directed at the soil."
Main market references Both the Chilean specialized fertilizer market and the bioinput market are woven as a diverse network of multinational companies, specialized distributors, and national manufacturers.
Thus, SQM (Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile) is the main producer of specialty plant nutrients, with brands such as Allganic, Speedfol, Qrop, and Ultrasol. Anasac, the largest Chilean agricultural input company, has a strong presence in biostimulants with products such as Martello (seaweed extract) and Release LPH (fulvic acids). Meanwhile, in the major distributors category, Martínez y Valdivieso (M&V) stands out with a portfolio that includes Patagonia Biotecnología, Agroadvance, Rovensa Next, and Yara, among many other brands.
Regarding bioinputs, it is worth mentioning the case of Bio Insumos Nativa, in which Summit Agro South America (a subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation) invested solidly in 2025 with the goal of initiating its global expansion. For its part, NS Group Holding has one of the most modern production plants in Latin America in this segment to serve the entire region and has just announced an investment of $8.4 million to expand its facilities this year.
Other relevant companies complete the landscape, such as Bioamérica, Bayer, BASF, Gowan, FMC, Haifa Group, Tradecorp, Valagro, Koppert Biological Systems, and Hello Nature, all with participation in Chile's growing biostimulant market.
Public policy on biological inputs and regulatory challenges There is a before and after for biological inputs in Chile with the implementation of Law 21.349. "Until a few years ago, Chile lacked a clear and unified legal category for the figure of 'biostimulant,' forcing many products to register under generic fertilizer regulations or under pesticide regulation," explains Patricia Villarreal. "However, the definitive implementation of Law 21.349 has marked a turning point by separating nutrition from phytosanitary health and differences in processing times."
As occurs in so many other regions of the world, registration times for such inputs continue to be a significant obstacle: "In the case of a traditional chemical product or biopesticide, entering the evaluation flow of a new active ingredient for plant protection purposes can easily take between 3 to 5 years. [...] Meanwhile, those products categorized as biofertilizers and biostimulants, the process is faster (range of 12 to 24 months)."
Looking ahead ODEPA foresees "moderate growth in aggregate fruit surface area" in the coming years that would be around 5%. They are more emphatic about this increase in the central and southern regions of Chile: "We see growing interest in investing in these regions; we have even observed substitution of surface area intended for timber production with pine forests toward fruit tree surfaces, for example, hazelnuts," indicates Daniela Acuña. "This, without doubt, is accompanied by greater productivity given varietal replacement and production technologies, especially focused on fruit quality, since this will allow producers to maintain competitiveness in global markets."
From AFIPA, Villarreal states that products oriented toward mitigating abiotic stress (heat stress, extreme UV radiation, and severe drought) will experience a higher growth rate. And she concludes: "The growth projection for specialized fertilizers and bioinputs in Chile would remain in double-digit curves for the coming years." ●
At the top of the podium remains cherries, the star product, with 625,246 tonnes exported in the 2024-25 season, representing 51% growth compared to the previous year and 15% abovethe five-year average.
Francisco Contardo, executive director of the Foundation for Communications, Training and Agricultural Culture (FUCOA)
Although the Irrigation Law is mainly focused on water efficiency, many of the modernization projects … allow the incorporation of precision fertigation solutions, sensors, and automation, particularly in pressurized irrigation systems.
Patricia Villarreal, executive director of the National Association of Manufacturers and Importers of Agricultural Phytosanitary Products (AFIPA)
The agricultural oasis valley of San Miguel de Azapa in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile.
… currently the best-selling products are biostimulants derived from algae extracts based on Ecklonia maxima and the other line corresponds to amendments based on humic and fulvic acids directed at the soil
In Chile, European hazelnut production is the surprise crop, with the area nearing 50,000 ha.
