b"CHILES SEED SECTOR REAPING GLOBALIZATIONS REWARDSChile is the leading seed exporter in the entire Southern Hemisphere.Aimee NielsonGLOBALIZATION IS TRANS- Chile provides a competitive advan- entire Chilean contra-season seed sector FORMINGmany industries, includ- tage like no one else, she says. It's aattitude. ing the seed sector. A pivotal factor inbeautiful country where you can findWe want to serve our customers moving agriculture forward is Southdifferent geographic areas to suit differ- needs the best way we can, she says. America's ability to provide contra-sea- ent growing conditions. Even details asWe are open to customer demands and son production to the North Americanspecific as how the direction of the suncustomer needsregardless of who the (and, increasingly, global) seed markets,affects the plants suits the work we do.customer contacts (within the asso-which significantly bolsters agriculturalAnd, weve got all the necessary logis- ciation), we do what we have to meet productivity and strengthens worldwidetics in place: access to inputs, access tothe need and make Chile look good. I food security.irrigation, access to all the transportationremember right after the (2010) tsunami, Chile exports approximately three persystems and processes we need to moveand even for quite a long time after, we cent of its total agricultural production.seed efficiently. worked together with all the seed compa-Domestically, seed production is just aChiles contra-season benefits alsonies to make things work for our custom-small part of the countrys overall agricul- include production isolation. The valleyers.ture economy compared to larger, high- between the Andes Mountain range andIf a customer asks for an ultra-short value, high demand domestic and exportthe Pacific provides a relatively narrowturn-around time, Alucema says the crops including various fruits. Still, Chileand isolated corridor for production, limit- Chilean seed industry can deliver. is the leading seed exporter in the entireing potential disease or pest contamina- If I need to have one metric ton of Southern Hemisphere, according to thetion. With northern Chiles full desert andseed in Canada, lets say a week from International Seed Federation. In 2022,a cooler climate in the south, the countrynow, I have all the conditions to make it Chilean seed exports, including physicalalso offers a variety of production areas.work. Thats not a problem. Even if we exports and research and developmentFrom a regulatory perspective, Chilehave a tsunami or an earthquake, if you services, totaled $350 million. Of totalmakes production and the internationalserve a market, you find ways to make it seed industry exports, vegetables led themovement of seeds as efficient as possible.work.way at 47%, corn was second at 23% andWe have the freedom to operate,That attitude has translated to interna-canola accounted for 7%.though GMO crops cannot be com- tional confidence in Chiles ability to meet Canada based HyTech Production Ltd.mercialized here, Alucema says.Ourmarket needs. has been a leader in Chiles contra-seasonphytosanitary regulations are very strong.Customers have been showing more operations for more than two decades.Our regulatory body has done a verytrust that we can perform and execute It, like most contra-season companies,good job ensuring that Chilean seed isin a timely manner, and also fulfill quality provides certified hybrid seed productionsuitable for any market. assurance requirements. Weve worked and breeder seed inbred line mainte- very hard to build that trust, she says. nance and multiplication services. Its coreA can do attitude can go Understanding and innovatively har-product is canola, but it also maintains aa long way nessing globalization is key to agriculture strong supply of fall rye, hemp, mustardSending seed worldwide comes with asuccessfully meeting the dual challenges and other crops. The general manager forhost of challenges including weather,of climate change and feeding a growing HyTechs Chile division, Cristina Alucema,regulations and language barriers.population. Contra-season production says there are a host of reasons that makeAlucema meets them all with a can dois leading that effort. That said, it hasnt Chile an ideal and obvious choice forattitude. She says its not just a personalbeen entirely easy. contra-season production.attitude, or a HyTech attitude, but anWhile the global pandemic, technol-16/ SEEDWORLD.COMLATAM"