The president of the National Agricultural Society (SNA), Antonio Walker, warned that the tariffs imposed by the United States on Chilean products will represent losses of US$800 million for the sector over the next four years.

The estimate was made during his speech at the 2026 National Agricultural Meeting (Enagro), where the union leader addressed the challenges facing national agriculture and expressed his concern about trade conditions with the North American country.

“We are concerned about the tariff situation with the United States, which affects our poultry, citrus fruits, grapes, and other products. These tariffs will cost our farmers $800 million over the next four years,” Walker said.

Along those lines, the president of the SNA stated that Chile has respected the Free Trade Agreement with the United States and highlighted that national producers comply with high labor, environmental, health and traceability standards.

However, he acknowledged the difficulties in reversing the current tariff conditions. “We know that we will hardly recover zero tariffs,” he noted, although he appreciated the government's efforts and the negotiations underway to address the situation product by product.

SNA calls for diversifying markets

Regarding the trade scenario, Walker emphasized the importance of expanding the destinations of Chilean agricultural exports to reduce dependence on traditional markets and take advantage of new opportunities.

In that context, he mentioned India, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, and the interior of China as destinations that offer access to hundreds of millions of consumers.

“We must continue to diversify our destinations,” the union leader stated during his speech.

The warning comes against a backdrop of slower growth in some agricultural sectors. In his speech, Walker noted that while sectors such as nuts, meat, and dairy production are showing positive results, other activities—including wine, traditional crops, sugar beets, the forestry sector, and some fruits—are facing persistent difficulties.

He added that international uncertainty and the increase in the costs of energy, fertilizers, agrochemicals and logistics are factors that, he explained, are putting pressure on national agricultural activity.

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