South American timber and wood products poised for growth
Global trade of wood products has gone up substantially the past two years. Hardwood chip export from Chile, Uruguay and Brail was up 43 percent in 2011 compared to 2009, as reported by the Wood Resource Quarterly. A clear majority of the increase was Eucalyptus chips destined for pulp mills in Japan and Europe. Wood chip exports from South America are on track to reach a record high of almost eight million tons in 2011, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly. This would be an increase of seven percent from last…
Chilean per capita meat consumption has doubled in the last two decades
In the last two decades Chileans consumption of different meats has doubled according to data from the Agriculture Policy and Studies Office, ODEPA, released this week. From the 39.6 kilos of 1991, meats consumption soared in 2011 to 84.2 kilos on average, and not taking into account fish and sea food. If the 28 years since meats’ consumption stats were first recorded is taken into account, beef has soared 50% since 1986, from 14.7 to 21.7 kilos in 2011, while pork has jumped four fold from 6.1 kilos to 25.7…
HSBC has released a report predicting the rise and fall of the world’s economies in the next 40 years.
The global research department of HSBC has released a report predicting the rise and fall of the world’s economies in the next 40 years. The world’s top economy in 2050 will be China, followed by the United States. No surprises there – since China’s reforms in the 1980s, economists have said it’s not a question of if, but when, China’s collective economic might will top the U.S. #adp02 But among the smaller, developing nations, there are several surprises by HSBC prognosticators:But among the smaller,…
Barrick inaugurates Punta Colorada Wind Farm in Chile
At an inauguration ceremony held today in northern Chile, Barrick Gold Corporation marked the official opening of the Punta Colorada Wind Farm, the largest wind farm ever built by a mining company in the country. Source: Barrick Gold Corporation The event was attended by the President of the Republic of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, the ministers of Mining and Energy, Hernán de Solminihac and Rodrigo Álvarez, and authorities from Chile’s Atacama and Coquimbo regions. This large-scale $50 million project,…
Blueberries from Chile to set new exports record
The latest Blueberries crop report shows the Chilean harvest beginning to progress as spring tilts toward summer in the Southern Hemisphere. Cool-weather conditions had early-season export numbers behind projections, but all signs now point to a robust harvest and export market, as the season ramps up. Peak production and export of Chilean blueberries takes place in December, January and February. According to the Chilean Blueberry Committee, production will continue to increase in future years, as Chile adds…
Chile targets tourism as third most important sector of the economy by 2020
Chile targets tourism as the third most important sector of the economy by 2021 The new campaign by Chile’s National Tourism Service (Sernatur) aims to make tourism the third largest sector of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 2020. The campaign was launched in Jan. 1, 2012. Tourism in Chile currently accounts for 5% of the GDP. The tourism industry has been built on Chile’s diversity of natural landscapes — from the moonscape deserts of Atacama to the fjords of the Patagonia —…
Unasur forecasts South America’s decade
A new global order is emerging as a result of the world crisis and recession in developed countries and Latin America has a crucial role to play given its very satisfactory economic performance in recent years, said Unasur Secretary General Maria Emma Mejia. Meeting in Madrid for the tenth anniversary of the Spanish foreign affairs think-tank Royal Institute Elcano, Ms Mejia together with other world experts and politicians were invited to discuss the international crisis, the emergence of new powers…
Investment funds around the world seeking farmland in response to food price hikes
For decades, the world was often swimming in surplus food because farmers were so productive. But rising demand has caught up, and reserves have become so tight that global food markets are vulnerable to even minor shocks. Many analysts say that higher, more volatile prices may be here to stay. The new dynamic reflects in part the rising demand for commodities in developing countries such as China, India and Russia. By 2050, the U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization projects that world food production will…
Chinese largest agricultural firm to buy farmland in Latin America
China’s largest agricultural enterprise, Heilongjiang Beidahuang Nongken Group, will acquire or lease 200,000 hectares of cropland in countries including Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Russia, The Philippines, Australia and Zimbabwe China, the world’s most populous country with 1.34 billion citizens, is experiencing an agricultural deficit that has spurred the authorities to seek access to crops outside its territory. In fact, according to somewhat dated statistics, less than 11 percent of Chinese territory…
