The Australian Government has announced that it has secured market access for almonds into Chile, with which it hopes to be able to further penetrate the Latin American market.

Australian Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said it was great news for the AUD$440 million almond export industry.

“Gaining market access for Australian produce helps our farmers sell more and employ more regional people,” he said. “We are the second largest producer of almonds and our almond crop is expected to hit record levels this year and the next five years.

“The majority of these almonds have been grown for export, so opening new markets is vital for the success of the industry."

He said that the new market access provides "significant potential".

“Chile is home to 18 million people and this will also help us tap into valuable Latin American markets," he said.

“Improving market access is an important part of increasing farm gate returns and ensuring growers get premium price for their premium produce.”

Australia's almond crop is expected to be 16% above last year’s at a record 93,000 metric tons (MT).

Each year Australia exports around AUD$4 million worth of agricultural produce to Chile.