Doing Business 213reserves of oil and natural gas in the extreme south.
In October 2010, Chile gained international notoriety and
respect with the flawless and emotional rescue of 33 trapped
miners who had spent over two months underground in the
San José mine near the city of Copiapó in the north. The
incident brought about a call for a review of mine safety,
especially for smaller mines.
Service Sector
The service sector accounts for a huge percentage of GDP.
One of the fastest growing sectors, it encompasses a vast
number of areas including financial services (banking,
securities, asset management, insurance, etc.), professional
services (accounting, legal, engineering, consulting,
architecture, etc.), commerce, utilities, construction, com-
munication, informatics, transportation, housing, education,
health, tourism and public administration.
Agriculture
Farming and agro-industries play a major role in the economy.
Chile grows a wide variety of fruits and vegetables for export.
Fresh and processed fruits and vegetables account for more
than 70 per cent of total agricultural exports. Chilean produce
has a ready market during the winter season in the northern
hemisphere. These products include grapes, apples, pears,
kiwis, plums, nectarines, peaches, asparagus, tomatoes and
corn. In fact, Chile is the world’s second largest exporter of
table grapes after Italy.
Poisoned Grapes
In 1989, an anonymous tip-off alerted US officials at the American
Embassy in Santiago that grapes in a large shipment originating
in Chile had been poisoned with cyanide. The US immediately
suspended all imports of grapes, as did many other countries. The
Chilean economy suffered greatly as a result. Citing procedural
errors in the US government lab that had run the tests on the
grapes, the Chilean government and private Chilean companies
demanded compensation from the US government. The case, which
was viewed as a threat to the Pinochet government, has never
been fully resolved.