May 17, 2007

Chile aims to triple beef production in ten years

Chile is targeting to triple its annual beef output to 750,000 tonnes in the next decade from its current annual production of 147,000 tonnes.

This was disclosed by Hernan Rojas, director of Chile's state agrarian lending agency Indap and president of the recently-formed council for genetic improvement of cattle and sheep.

Rojas said the objective of tripling its beef production is to increase output and quality of Chilean meat. The programme will be carried out in the country's plan for cattle management and investment for productive development.

The council for genetic improvement of cattle and sheep will promote long-term policies aimed at matching the output of small and medium-sized producers with the market demand, Rojas said. The small and medium-sized producers comprise 42 percent of cattle farms in the country.

The initial stage of the plan intends to have access to advanced technologies for cattle breeders, as well as providing specialised consultancy and schemes for artificial insemination.