In 2008, the United States imported over 80 billion dollars in agricultural products. The main products imported were fruits and vegetables (fresh or frozen) representing 15% of this total, grains and cattle feed (10.3%), coffee and cocoa (9.6%), oils (8.4%), red meats (6%), wines  (5.8%), beer (4.6%), fruit and vegetable preparations (4.5%), dairy products (3.9%), live animals (3.2%) and juices (2.4%).

 Chile has traditionally been an important supplier of fresh and frozen fruit for the US market. Of the 4.3 billion dollars in fruit imported by the United States in 2008 (excluding bananas), Chile contributed 1.3 billion dollars, or 29% of the total. With respect to wine, the United States is an important destination for Chilean wine exports, totaling over 200 million dollars in 2008. However, Chilean wines only contribute with  4.5% of the total wine imports of the United States, which total 4,600 million dollars. In this way, although Chile is ranked as the fifth main supplier of wines to the US market, it is very distant form the first three (Italy, France and Australia), who together represent 74% of the market. This translates in an opportunity for Chilean wines to continue growing in this market and obtain a better position among these suppliers.

 Approximately one third of Chilean exports of salmon and trout have the United States as their destination market.  In 2008 Chile exported over 800 million dollars of this product, a tendency that should be maintained and strengthened, given 57% of US imports of this product come from Chile.  In terms of total fish product imports, Chile represents 7% of the total imported by the United States.

 The United States is the main market for Chilean forestry product exports, representing 17% of total exports with a value of over 700 million dollars. In this way, these exports represent 4.6% of total US imports of these products (excluding pulp and paper).

 The seed production market has made very important progress and the United States has become the main export destination.  In 2008, over 160 million dollars were exported, which represented 65% of total Chilean seed exports. The main products exported were corn and vegetables seeds. It is estimated that 51% of all corn seeds and 11.4% of vegetable seeds are imported from Chile.

 Chile has obtained a unique place in the United States food market, thanks not only to the safety and quality of its products, but also to the serious and reliable image the public and private sector has created for Chile as a supplier of quality food products.  Despite this fact, there are still a few challenges facing the Chilean food industry, such as developing added value for a series of products, such as gourmet, organic and ready to eat products.

 The United States requires a segmented approach, taking into consideration its various regions, each with their own specificities, which must be taken into account when trying to expand our agricultural, fishery, agro industrial and forestry products. The United States also offers technological opportunities which will allow for innovation in our production procedures, making it cleaner, more socially integrating and more competitive.