Ministry of Agriculture (Chile)

Ministry of Agriculture
Ministerio de Agricultura
Logo of the Ministry.
Ministry of Agriculture overview
Formed
  • 17 October 1924 (as Ministry of Agriculture, Industry and Colonization)
  • 5 December 1927 (98, as Ministry of Agriculture)
  • Ministry of Agriculture, Industry and Colonization (1924–1927)
Jurisdiction Chile
Headquarters
Employees7,441 (2020)[1]
Annual budget563,808,891 thousand Chilean pesos (2020)[2]
  • Jaime Campos, Minister of Agriculture
  • Francesco Venezian, Undersecretary of Agriculture
Parent department
Executive Branch
Presidency of the Republic
  • Undersecretariat of Agriculture
    INDAP
    SAG
    CONAF
    ODEPA
    CNR
    FIA
    INIA
    INFOR
    CIREN
    FUCOA
    AGROSEGUROS
    ACHIPIA
    IREN (1964–2004)
Websiteminagri.gob.cl

The Ministry of Agriculture (also known by its acronym, Minagri)[3] is the ministry of State in charge of agriculture and livestock in Chile. Since 11 March 2026, its head has been the lawyer Jaime Campos, who serves as minister of the portfolio under the administration of José Antonio Kast.

It was created during the first government of Arturo Alessandri in 1924, under the name "Ministry of Agriculture, Industry and Colonization", acquiring its current designation in 1930, during the first administration of Carlos Ibáñez del Campo.

History

During the 19th century the Chilean agricultural institutional framework — at that time responsible for matters such as the protection and development of agriculture, the organization and maintenance of agricultural schools, and the regulation of forests — was located in the Ministry of Finance, and from 1887, following a reform under the government of José Manuel Balmaceda, in the Ministry of Industry and Public Works.[4]

It was only from the 1920s that the sector began to be endowed with its own institutional framework, due to its importance to the country, with the creation in 1924 — by the Military Junta led by General Luis Altamirano — of the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry and Colonization.[5] The new ministry was responsible, among other functions, for the protection of the agricultural industry, the organization and maintenance of agricultural education, the promotion and conservation of forests and forest reserves, animal and plant health policing, and the promotion of agricultural credit, of cooperatives for the purchase or sale of seeds, machinery, and products, and in general everything related to the rural economy.

Three years later, the government of Carlos Ibáñez del Campo reorganized the State administration, so the agricultural institutional framework came under the Department of Agriculture of the new Ministry of Development.[6] However, on 1 August 1930, Ibáñez himself returned autonomy to the sector, signing the decree that definitively created the Ministry of Agriculture.[7] Thus, the new portfolio was composed of an undersecretariat and four departments: Arboriculture, Fruit Growing and Plant Health; Livestock and Animal Health; Oenology and Viticulture; and Rural Economy. It was also placed in charge of agricultural research laboratories, provincial agriculture services, agricultural schools, and the Quinta Normal of Agriculture.[7] That same year, the Agricultural Export Board was also created, which would be succeeded in 1942 by the Institute of Agricultural Economics,[8][9] while in 1932 the Agrarian Credit Bank — created in 1926 as a subsidiary of the Mortgage Credit Bank — became autonomous, and would therefore also relate to the State through the Ministry of Agriculture.

In 1953, the second government of Carlos Ibáñez del Campo restructured the ministry, which entailed the establishment of eight departments, the abolition of bodies such as the Epizootics Council, the Agricultural Plan Council and the National Commission for the Protection of Wildlife, and the transfer to Agriculture of services that depended on the Institute of Agricultural Economics and on the Ministry of Economy, including the Department of Fisheries and Hunting — which was renamed General Directorate of Fisheries and Hunting —, so that from that year on, fisheries institutions were left in the hands of the Ministry of Agriculture.[10][11] Subsequently, in 1957, Fisheries and Hunting was merged with the National Directorate of Agriculture and the new body was named General Directorate of Agricultural and Fisheries Production, composed of eight departments, including the Department for the Promotion of Fisheries and Hunting.[12][13] In 1960 the General Directorate was once again reformulated, and this time renamed the Directorate of Agriculture and Fisheries.[14][15]

The agrarian reform process that began in the first years of the 1960s, and which would extend until 1973, led to the creation of new institutions dependent on or related to the Ministry of Agriculture. The first agrarian reform law (Law 15,020, pejoratively known as the "flowerpot law"), enacted in 1962 by President Jorge Alessandri, created the Higher Council for Agricultural and Livestock Development (Confsa), the Agrarian Reform Corporation (CORA) — successor to the Agricultural Colonization Bank, which was linked to the Ministry of Lands and Colonization — and the Agricultural Development Institute (Indap) — successor to the Agricultural Development and Research Council, created in 1953 —.[16] Meanwhile, two years later the Agricultural Research Institute (INIA) was created.[17]

Minister of Agriculture Hugo Trivelli (center), alongside President Eduardo Frei Montalva signing the promulgating decree of the Agrarian Reform Law, 1967.

Subsequently, the 1967 agrarian reform (Law 16,640) enacted by Eduardo Frei Montalva — broader and deeper than the one carried out by Jorge Alessandri — created the National Agrarian Council, the National Agricultural Credit Council, the Office of Agricultural Planning (successor to Confsa), and the Agricultural and Livestock Service (successor to the Directorate of Agriculture and Fisheries).[18] In 1970, toward the end of the Frei government, the Reforestation Corporation was also created, which in 1973 would change its name to National Forestry Corporation (Conaf).[19][20]

Following the coup d'état of 11 September 1973 that overthrew Salvador Allende, the military dictatorship carried out several transformations in the Ministry. The halt to the agrarian reform process — the vast majority of expropriated lands were returned or auctioned off by the State — resulted in the dissolution of the Agrarian Reform Corporation in 1978 and its replacement by the Agrarian Normalization Office (Odena), whose purpose was to conclude the activities of CORA;[21] in 1989, meanwhile, the Office of Agricultural Planning was terminated and any law or regulation referring to agrarian reform was finally repealed.[22] Also, between 1976 and 1978, fisheries institutions were returned to the Ministry of Economy and the Undersecretariat of Fisheries and the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service were created,[23][24] while agencies such as Conaf, SAG and Indap were subject to restructuring in terms of composition and functions.

Functions

One of the Ministry's stated objectives is to "reduce social inequality by strengthening and expanding the reach of development instruments, with priority for family and peasant agriculture". Another fundamental task is to contribute to value-adding in agriculture, which implies "promoting a development of the agricultural economy based both on technology and innovation, and on deepening the attributes that enhance the productivity and competitiveness of agriculture: the quality, safety, and health of silvoagricultural production". At the same time, this development gives appropriate priority to the protection of rural workers, communities, culture, and the country's natural resources.

Dependencies

Undersecretariat of Agriculture

The Undersecretary of Agriculture is the second authority within the ministry in hierarchical terms. The position is currently held by Ignacia Fernández Gatica.

Agencies under Minagri

The following public agencies or services report to the Ministry of Agriculture:

  • Agricultural Development Institute (INDAP)
  • Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG)
  • National Forestry Corporation (CONAF)
  • Office of Agricultural Studies and Policies (ODEPA)
  • National Irrigation Commission (CNR)
  • Foundation for Agricultural Innovation (FIA)
  • Agricultural Research Institute (INIA)
  • Forestry Institute of Chile (INFOR)
  • Natural Resources Information Center (CIREN)
  • Foundation for Communications, Training and Culture of Agriculture (FUCOA)
  • Agroseguros
  • Chilean Agency for Food Quality and Safety (ACHIPIA)

List of representatives

Minister Party Term start Term end President
Hugo Trivelli DC 3 November 1964 3 November 1970 Eduardo Frei Montalva
Jacques Chonchol MAPU 3 November 1970 2 November 1972 Salvador Allende
Rolando Calderón PS 2 November 1972 27 January 1973
Pedro Hidalgo Ramírez PS 27 January 1973 3 June 1973
Ernesto Torrealba PS 5 July 1973 13 July 1973
Jaime Tohá González Independent 13 June 1973 11 September 1973
Sergio Crespo Moreno Militar 12 September 1973 11 July 1974 Augusto Pinochet
Tucapel Vallejos Militar 11 July 1974 12 July 1976
Mario McKay Militar 12 July 1976 20 April 1978
Alfonso Márquez de la Plata Independent 20 April 1978 29 December 1980
José Luis Toro Hevia Militar 29 December 1980 22 April 1982
Jorge Prado Aranguiz Independent 22 April 1982 6 October 1988
Jaime de la Sotta Independent 6 October 1988 5 June 1989
Juan Ignacio Domínguez Independent 5 June 1989 11 March 1990
Juan Agustín Figueroa PR 11 March 1990 11 March 1994 Patricio Aylwin
Emiliano Ortega DC 11 March 1994 28 September 1996 Eduardo Frei Ruíz-Tagle
Carlos Mldinic DC 28 September 1996 22 June 1999
Ángel Sartori Arellano DC 21 October 1988 11 March 1990
Jaime Campos PRSD 11 March 2000 11 March 2006 Ricardo Lagos
Álvaro Rojas DC 11 March 2006 10 January 2008 Michelle Bachelet
Marigen Hornkohl DC 10 January 2008 11 March 2010
José Antonio Galilea RN 11 March 2010 29 December 2011 Sebastián Piñera
Luis Mayol RN 29 December 2011 11 March 2014
Carlos Furche PS 11 March 2014 11 March 2018 Michelle Bachelet
Antonio Walker Independent 11 March 2018 6 January 2021 Sebastián Piñera
María Emilia Undurraga Evópoli 6 January 2021 11 March 2022
Esteban Valenzuela FREVS 11 March 2022 21 August 2025 Gabriel Boric
Ignacia Fernández PS 21 August 2025 11 March 2026
Jaime Campos PR 11 March 2026 Incumbent José Antonio Kast

See also

References

  1. ↑ Dipres. "Anuario Estadístico del Empleo Público en el Gobierno Central 2011-2020" (PDF) (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  2. ↑ Dipres. "Ley de presupuestos del sector público Año 2020" (PDF) (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  3. ↑ "Minagri capacita a operadores de Chiloé y Llanquihue en fertilización de praderas y estrategias para enfrentar el cambio climático". Diario de Valdivia (in Spanish). 2 February 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  4. ↑ Ministry of the Interior (21 June 1887). "Ley s/n" (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  5. ↑ Ministry of the Interior (21 October 1924). "Decreto Ley 43" (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  6. ↑ Ministry of the Interior (5 December 1927). "Decreto que organiza las secretarías del Estado" (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  7. 1 2 Ministry of the Interior (4 September 1930). "Decreto 3524: Crea el Ministerio de Agricultura y fija sus atribuciones". Diario Oficial de la República de Chile (in Spanish). Santiago. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  8. ↑ Ministry of Agriculture (19 December 1930). "Ley 4912: Crea una Junta de Exportación Agrícola y fija sus atribuciones". Diario Oficial de la República de Chile (in Spanish). Santiago. pp. 3–4. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  9. ↑ Ministry of Finance (22 August 1942). "Dispone que las atribuciones que las leyes que se indican otorgan a la Junta de Exportación Agrícola y al Consejo de Fertilizantes, serán ejercidas en lo sucesivo por un organismo que se denominará "Instituto de Economía Agrícola"" (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  10. ↑ Ministry of Finance (1 June 1953). "Adopta las medidas que indica en relación con el Ministerio de Economía y Comercio y sus atribuciones y actividades" (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  11. ↑ Ministry of Finance (5 August 1953). "DFL 185: Fija atribuciones y estructura el Ministerio de Agricultura". Diario Oficial de la República de Chile (in Spanish). Santiago. pp. 1–3. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  12. ↑ Ministry of Agriculture (23 March 1957). "Fusiona la Dirección Nacional de Agricultura y la Dirección de Pesca y Caza, ambas del Ministerio de Agricultura" (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  13. ↑ Ministry of Agriculture (5 June 1957). "Aprueba el reglamento orgánico de la Dirección General de Producción Agraria y Pesquera del Ministerio de Agricultura" (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  14. ↑ Ministry of Agriculture (24 March 1960). "DFL 158: Declara en reorganización y fija las plantas de la Dirección de Agricultura y Pesca" (JPG). Diario Oficial de la República de Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  15. ↑ Ministry of Finance (5 April 1960). "Establece funciones y estructura Ministerio de Agricultura" (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  16. ↑ Ministry of Agriculture (27 November 1962). "Reforma agraria" (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  17. ↑ Ministry of Justice (16 April 1964). "Concede personalidad jurídica y aprueba los estatutos a la corporación denominada "Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias"" (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  18. ↑ Ministry of Agriculture (28 July 1967). "Reforma agraria" (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  19. ↑ Ministry of Justice (13 May 1970). "Concede personalidad jurídica y aprueba estatutos a la corporación denominada Corporación de Reforestación, con domicilio en Santiago" (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  20. ↑ Ministry of Justice (10 May 1973). "Aprueba las reformas que ha acordado introducir en sus estatutos la Corporación de Reforestación" (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  21. ↑ Ministry of Agriculture (12 December 1978). "Disuelve la Corporación de la Reforma Agraria y modifica la Ley 16.640" (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  22. ↑ Ministry of Agriculture (7 January 1989). "Establece normas sobre el Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero, deroga la Ley 16.640 y otras disposiciones" (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  23. ↑ Ministry of Economy, Development and Reconstruction (21 December 1976). "Crea la Subsecretaría de Pesca en el Ministerio de Economía, Fomento y Reconstrucción" (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  24. ↑ Ministry of Economy, Development and Reconstruction (29 December 1978). "Establece funciones y atribuciones del Ministerio de Economía, Fomento y Reconstrucción en materia de pesca, organiza la Subsecretaría de Pesca, crea el Consejo Nacional de Pesca y el Servicio Nacional de Pesca" (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 April 2021.
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