During his participation in the United Nations General Assembly, Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna signed the terms of reference for a future trade agreement between Chile and Morocco on Monday. This agreement marks the beginning of negotiations for a future Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two nations.

“We have just signed terms of reference with Morocco. In simple terms, this is the starting point for negotiating a Free Trade Agreement with Morocco. This is very important for us because this is the gateway to Africa. It means more jobs for Chileans, more foreign trade, more exports. So we are very pleased to have been able to take this important step here today,” said Chilean Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna.

Experts in the field believe that an agreement of this type could be "the gateway" to that continent and is part of a broad agenda of rapprochement that the Foreign Ministry is carrying out with various countries.

Specifically, the African economy has a GDP of US$183 billion and in the last five years trade with the country grew by 25% annually, reaching US$80,3 million in 2025.

Exports exceeded US$16,6 million last year, led by walnuts (US$4,8 million), grapes and brown raisins (US$3,1 million), and potassium nitrates (US$2,2 million).

Meanwhile, imports from the North African country exceeded US$ 63,7 million, with monoammonium phosphate (US$ 26,4 million), superphosphates containing diphosphorus pentoxide (US$ 14,9 million) and fish oil (US$ 10,8 million) being the most prominent.

Previously, the Undersecretary of International Economic Relations, Paula Estévez, had stated that Morocco is an economy "open to foreign investment and with a population of nearly 40 million people, which demonstrates dynamism and great growth potential (...) a gateway to the rest of Africa, a continent where we currently have no trade agreements."

The Undersecretariat of International Economic Relations explained to Emol that "Morocco is a market of special interest due to the dynamism of its economy and the complementarity between both economies."

They added that "deepening the trade relationship would generate new opportunities for sectors in which Chile has a competitive exportable supply, particularly in food and agro-industrial products."

Regarding the geographical factor, they pointed out that "its location in North Africa and its trade links with African and Mediterranean markets also give it strategic value as a platform for greater commercial projection of Chile towards the region."

© Emol.com

Morocco, an opportunity to diversify

The signing of this memorandum of understanding is part of the government's efforts to diversify national exports. This year, Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna concluded negotiations in July for a free trade agreement with the Philippines and initiated talks with Bangladesh.

A month later, the government committed to a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with India.

In addition, President Kast held a meeting at La Moneda with his South Korean counterpart where five cooperation agreements were signed, two of which were related to trade issues.

It is worth noting that, between January and August 2026, Chile's exports were concentrated in China and the United States, representing more than 50% of foreign trade. Within these shipments, mining products predominated, accounting for 62,6% of goods.

According to former Foreign Minister Heraldo Muñoz, the negotiations with Morocco are "a first step" towards achieving greater economic diversification and avoiding tariff sanctions like those imposed by the Donald Trump administration in July.

"Chile must continue to seek new export markets. In that context, the signing of terms of reference to negotiate a free trade agreement with Morocco is a positive step," he stated.

Former Undersecretary of International Economic Relations, Claudia Sanhueza, agreed that the meeting "is on the right track," since "today we have no trade agreement with Africa, and Morocco can be a gateway to the continent."

However, the former official stated that "diversifying destinations is not the same as diversifying what we export; the latter requires a productive policy."

Business opportunities opening up for Chile

The Undersecretary of International Economic Relations (Subrei) highlighted the diversification potential offered by Morocco and noted that the transatlantic nation already consumes Chilean export products.

"These include, for example, fresh cherries, salmon, wines and sparkling wines, grapes, avocados, wood products, copper and aluminum manufactures, hazelnuts, medicines, olive oil and other food and agro-industrial products," they noted.

Furthermore, they estimated that with the deepening of trade, exports could reach an additional growth potential of US$48 million by 2030, and more than 40% would correspond to agricultural products.

“Trade in services also presents room for growth. In 2025, Morocco was the seventh largest destination in Africa for Chilean service exports, particularly commercial brokerage services and the promotion and offering of tour packages. Including a Services chapter in future negotiations would allow Chilean suppliers to explore new opportunities in this market,” they concluded.

The process is still in its initial stages, so it is not possible to anticipate a date for the conclusion, signing, and subsequent entry into force of a future agreement. However, the Undersecretariat for International Economic Relations (SUBREI) indicated that the signing of the Terms of Reference will allow for negotiations that "Chile hopes to develop constructively and expeditiously."

Source: Emol.com

Read also:

• Varieties for different windows: the technical tour visits fields in Morocco
• The quality of berries in Morocco is also defined after the harvest
• Tangier focuses on the blueberry challenge: growing without putting pressure on the market
• From production to packing: the Tangier trade fair area brings together solutions for berries
• Morocco begins the new agricultural season with less moisture and pressure on water reserves
• Morocco could produce nearly 70% more blueberries by 2029