Industry veteran Luis Mayol has replaced José Antonio Galilea as the Chilean Minister of Agriculture following Galilea’s resignation in late December.
Minister Galilea resigned from his post for family reasons, according to a report by Fresh Fruit Portal.
Galilea was one of the few cabinet ministers retained by President Sebastián Piñera after he assumed the presidency of Chile in 2010.
During his tenure, Galilea oversaw the approval for Chilean blueberry access in China, spearheaded a milestone agricultural labour bill that is expected to boost flexibility and productivity in the industry, and pushed forward a national agricultural policy strateg, the report said.
Prior to his new post, Mayol was president of the National Agricultural Society (SNA) and is a lawyer and agricultural businessman and has been linked to the SNA for 30 years, acting as an advisor for two decades and director on four occasions.
The SNA presidency role will be filled temporarily until 9 January by previous vice-president Patricio Crespo, according to the report.
Mayol also grows grapes and wine for export in the VI (O’Higgins) region, while he also farms cereals and livestock in the IX (Araucania) region.
Some 20 years ago he was also one of the pioneers of grape production and export in Copiapó, the report said.
The Chilean Fruit Growers Federation (Fedefruta) has welcomed the appointment of Mayol, expressing confidence in his ability to do a good job.
