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EMJ to become major corporate sponsor
for ACCC
The Australia Chile Chamber of Commerce has
successfully entered into an agreement with EMJ
PLATINUM HOLDINGS PTY LIMITED (“EMJ”) to be the
major corporate sponsor of the Chamber for the next
twelve months.
EMJ’s objective is to facilitate the integration of
services and products in international trade through
a bilateral commercial model with a focus in Latin
America and the Australasian region.
Their services include, but are not limited to the
following:
>>>
Project Management
>>>
International Trade Consultation
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Agency Representation
>>>
Logistic Services
>>>
Marketing Assessment
To find out more about our sponsor please visit
www.emjplatinum.com.au
Aussies slump to Davis Cup defeat
Australia, the 28-time winners of the Davis Cup, was condemned to another season
in the Asia/Oceania zone after losing its World Group play-off to Chile
overnight.
Olympic silver
medalist Fernando Gonzalez clinched a straight sets victory over Chris Guccione
to give the Chileans a 3-1 winning lead on the claycourts of Antofogasta, 1,300
kilometres to the north of Santiago.
On Saturday,
Guccione and Carsten Ball, the 189th-ranked player, clinched a memorable doubles
win to keep Australia, playing without the injured Lleyton Hewitt, in the tie.
They defeated
former Olympic champions Nicolas Massu and Gonzalez 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (10-8), 6-3,
5-7, 7-5 in a four-hour, doubles marathon.
It was a remarkable
win for the Australian duo after they had trailed 0-3 and then 2-4 in a dramatic
final set.
MINERS TO
INVEST US$500 MILLION IN MOLY EXPLORATION
Friday, 12 September 2008,
Copper is the dominant metal in Chile’s mining sector, but that
is not keeping a number of Chilean mining giants from investing US$500 million
on several exploration projects to increase molybdenum production.
Chile’s
largest companies are expected to lead the increased molybdenum effort beginning
this year and continuing through 2015. These include CODELCO, Escondida, Luksic,
Pelambres, Collahuasi, and Antofagasta Minerals, according to Mining Studies
Center director Juan Carlos Guajardo.
Currently, molybdenum is Chile’s second-most exported mineral, next to copper,
and its extraction nets over $1 billion annually.
Molybdenum is a naturally-occurring, white, lusterless metal with a high melting
point, making it a suitable ingredient for strengthening steel. It is especially
useful for manufacturing steel to make “earthquake-proof” structures.
Originally thought to be a worthless residue of copper, demand for molybdenum is
rapidly increasing. Today a pound of molybdenum is worth over US$36 – up from
US$4 just five years ago.
“Chile is an important player in the world of molybdenum production,” said
International Molybdenum Association President Víctor Peréz. “It has CODELCO,
the world’s second-largest molybdenum producer and Molymet, the world’s
principal molybdenum processor.”
Despite greater revenues, Guajardo still finds Chile’s lack of diversification
in mining industry problematic. He believes increased molybdenum production
should not be considered an effort to diversify because molybdenum is a simple
copper mining byproduct, not requiring much specialization to extract.
With copper’s higher production costs, companies have compensated by increasing
molybdenum extraction. It was reported Thursday that CODELCO hopes to acquire a
portion of Ecuador’s Panantza-San Carlos copper mine. (ST, Sept. 11) In
addition to the mine’s abundant copper deposits, projections show over 1,270
tons of molybdenum could be mined there annually.
SOURCE: LA TERCERA, EL MERCURIO
By Jeff MacMullen
CHILEAN RASPBERRY INDUSTRY POISED FOR GROWTH
Wednesday, 17 September 2008
The increase of raspberry prices was a pleasant
surprise last season for Chilean producers, who
received up to nearly triple the value for the same
quantity sold in previous years.
Photo courtesy sxc.hu
Still, industrialists and exporters have not been as
lucky. The freezing industry accounts for 66 percent
of Chile's production and saw about a 20 percent
growth in volumes exported, but this was not
reflected in profits, due mostly a rise in the cost
of raw materials.
According to the International Raspberry
Organization (IRO), the world’s main raspberry
producers are harvesting less fruit. Serbia, for
instance, was the main global producer in 2006,
selling 72 million tons. This year, however, the
Balkan country has not sold more than 50 million.
This 27 percent drop has allowed other big
producers, such as Poland and Chile, to catch up in
the market.
Climatic conditions and labor shortages have been
responsible for these fruit market casualties, at
least in European countries. In Chile, however, up
until last year, low prices discouraged local
producers, who in turn neglected crops, which
obviously negatively impacted production.
But now, the tables have turned: Chile has good
prices before shortages begin at the end of the
season, which makes the demand grow.
Chilean berry leader Antonio Domínguez said it is
too early to mention the cost of raspberries next
season as it will depend on how the market develops
in the next three months in Europe.
Chile still has many advantages in the fruit
market: The country is renowned for its stable
climate, steady labor and quality of fruit, compared
to other parts of the world.
Recent studies, however, are revealing an
abnormally high amount of pesticides used in the
cultivation of Chilean fruit and vegetables, which
can have a profound effect on consumer health and,
possibly, on Chile's fruit and vegetable industry.
SOURCE: EL MERCURIO
By Rebecca Novell
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