April 30 2014- Ambassador Maria Consuelo Puyat-Reyes called on Chile’s new Minister of Agriculture Carlos Furche on April 22.  The Ambassador was welcomed by Minister Furche with much warmth and he was very enthusiastic about cooperation with the Philippines.  He said, “Chile must do something with the Philippines.”   The two agreed to review the existing Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Agriculture and Related Fields and Promotion of Agricultural Trade between the Department of Agriculture of the Republic of the Philippines and the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Chile.  

Ambassador Puyat-Reyes also reminded the Minister of the offer of Chile’s former President Sebastian Piñera to President Benigno S. Aquino on helping the Philippines’ fisheries and aquaculture industries made during a meeting at the sidelines of the APEC Summit held in Vladivostok, Russia in November 2012. Finally, Ambassador Puyat- Reyes thanked the Minister for the Ministry’s permission to allow the importation of dried mangoes, dried pineapples, banana chips and fruits in jelly by Dole Chile from the Philippines despite Chile’s strict rules on the import of fruits. END