After a reduction in the volume processed in the early 2000s, volumes processed are increasing again with an average of 1.1 million tonnes per year in the last five years, with a record 1.3 million tonnes processed in 2024.
The Chilean tomato processing industry has undergone many changes over the last two decades with a significant reduction in the number of companies and factories. Before the opening of a new line in 2018 by Patagoniafresh (Molina, 200 km south of Santiago), there were only three remaining factories in the hand of two companies at Tilcoco (Sugal Chile, 130 km south of Santiago), Teno (Agrozzi, 170 km south of Santiago) and Talca (Sugal Chile, 260 km south of Santiago).
The country enjoys a particular situation in terms of its geographical isolation which ensures the efficient protection of plants that the authorities are attempting to preserve with strict regulation. Most of the tomatoes are grown in the fertile earth of the country’s central valley where Mediterranean-type weather conditions are ideal for tomato crops. Seedlings are planted between mid-September and the beginning of December and harvested between the 20th of January and the 10th of April. Dry summers and wide differences between nighttime and daytime temperatures during the cropping season favour the development of the bright red colour of the fruit. The surface planted average about 9,000 ha per year, with average yields over 90 t/ha, increasing with the development of drip irrigation, although due to its high cost, the majority of surfaces remain irrigated by furrows. The production of processing tomatoes is subject to contracts which stipulate the provision of small plants, pesticides as well as technical and financial assistance by the processor to the 500 growers.
The factories are very efficient and use Italian equipment for concentration and aseptic packaging, and benefit from highly qualified professionals. They produce mainly 28/30 and 30/32 paste (90 % of the fresh tomatoes), with some sauces and some canned products – whole peeled, diced or pulped tomatoes. The Chilean tomato industry is largely export oriented as the domestic market is relatively small at about 15,000 tonnes, half processed into sauces or ketchup and half used by the canned fish industry. The country is linked with 64 countries around the world with 25 free-trade agreements and benefits from its counter-season production to most other large processors. While its main markets remain in central and Andean America and Japan, exports to Europe are growing.
The tomato processing industry of Chile is represented within the WPTC by Chilealimentos, based in Santiago.
