Resumo

LACAYO, Ramón  e  MORALES, Cristian. An analysis of the performance of chilean agricultural exports (1994-2004). INCI [online]. 2007, vol.32, n.5, pp.296-302. ISSN 0378-1844.

The relative success of the Chilean economy is due in a large measure to the application by the government of exchange rate and market liberalization policies oriented towards the promotion of exports in both traditional and non-traditional sectors, in order to turn them into an engine of growth. Farming in general has become a key component of the country’s economy. In this paper, the performance of the agricultural sector exports for the period 1994-2004 is analyzed on the basis of indicators that account for specialization, commerce structure and competitiveness of exports. Altogether, seven tariff categories of the Harmonized System (2002) were covered. In the analysis of export specialization three indices were employed, namely, the revealed comparative advantage, the contribution to trade balance, and the intraindustry commerce. The commerce structure was analyzed on the basis of the share of exports of the selected items to the total of exports. Competitiveness was analyzed with the use of indices of sector participation and market share. The results show a high level of specialization of agricultural exports and an increase in comparative advantage for products such as avocados, grapes and wine. Concerning competitiveness, the study revealed an increase in market share in almost all the destinations considered. The weakest tariff categories in this regard are edible vegetables and vegetable and fruit preparations, which so far have not been able to position themselves almost anywhere.

Palavras-chave : Agriculture; Comparative Advantage; Competitiveness; Exports.