Six important Chilean products will begin to be exported to Indonesia, thanks to the health opening carried out by the Asian country. These are the much sought-after blueberries, the sought-after cherries, kiwis and grapes, all in frozen format. In addition to these fruits, there are also dried nuts produced in national territory with and without shell.

The announcement of this action, which is taking place after concluding an extensive negotiation process, was made this morning by the acting Minister of Agriculture, Ignacia Fernández, the national director of Odepa, Andrea García, the general director of ProChile, Ignacio Fernández, and representatives of SAG, the National Society of Agriculture (SNA), Fedefruta, Chilenut and Chilealimentos.

In this regard, Acting Minister Ignacia Fernández pointed out that the opening of this market represents a strategic opportunity to diversify the export destinations of the Chilean fruit industry and that there is great interest in moving forward with the opening of other products. “Market diversification has been a key strategy within the framework of the sustainable agro-export agenda that the Government of President Gabriel Boric is promoting, with particular priority and attention placed on the situation in Asia,” she said.

The authority specified that, according to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, Indonesia is a source of global growth, exhibiting annual growth rates of around 5% for the next five years, ranking above China (4,3%), the United States (3%) and Latin America (2,3%). “Indonesia is currently ranked 40th as a destination for Chilean forestry and agricultural exports, with an export value of just over 44 million dollars in 2024,” he said.

For his part, the general director of ProChile, Ignacio Fernández, said that “this is great news, because it strengthens the work we are doing in terms of diversifying destinations for Chilean exports. If one looks at the short-term business potential from these health openings in Indonesia, it is more than 28 million dollars. In addition, within the framework of the work we do with the support of the Silvoagropecuaria Export Fund and in coordination with the private sector, we are organizing a large business meeting that will focus on the ASEAN countries, where Indonesia is one of the key markets; we will have the presence of Chilean exporters and importers from this economic bloc.”

The national director of Odepa, Andrea García, meanwhile, emphasized that this negotiation “not only strengthens our trade exchange with Indonesia, but also demonstrates Chile's agility and commitment to opening new opportunities for the sector abroad. In addition, this milestone comes after a record year for our forestry and agricultural exports, which reached US$19.009.639 and in 2025 we will continue working to position Chile as a benchmark in international trade.”

Regarding the general phytosanitary requirements for the export of dried nuts and frozen fruits to Indonesia, exporters must comply with the following general requirements: accompanied by a Phytosanitary Certificate (PC) issued by the SAG, make entries through entry points designated by the Indonesian Quarantine Authority (IQA), phytosanitary inspection and supervision upon arrival at the point of entry and, in case of transit through a third country, the shipment must have a Phytosanitary Certificate for Re-export issued by the health authority of the transit country, accompanied by a copy of the original PC issued by Chile.

New opportunities

Indonesia has a population of nearly 300 million people and a growing market. It is also worth noting that Chile has a bilateral trade agreement in force with this country, which grants us tariff preferences. Indonesia is also part of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), so for most agricultural products there is a 0% tariff.

This year, the sanitary opening is also expected to be extended to include fresh lemons, and the Indonesian authority has also expressed interest in advancing the opening of the Chilean market for its ornamental plants, which could strengthen bilateral cooperation in phytosanitary matters.