Trade Delegation from İKMİB to Chile for Healthcare Sector

The Istanbul Exporters Association of Chemical Substances and Products (İKMİB) successfully organized a trade mission focused on the health sector between 11-16 August 2025 in Santiago, Chile's capital. Within the scope of the mission, which included 10 companies from the medical devices, pharmaceuticals and dental sectors, over 120 bilateral business meetings were held between Turkish firms and foreign buyers.

The "Health Sector Chile Sectoral Trade Mission," organized to facilitate Turkish health sector access to the Chilean market, increase promotion of Turkish brands and develop commercial partnerships, received significant interest from regional countries. Within the program, firms held meetings with buyers from Chile, Uruguay, Bolivia and Peru, taking important steps toward potential trade partnerships. T.C. Trade Counselor Peyman Gülfam Bilgin, who visited the mission, answered companies' questions about the market.

Adil Pelister: "Chile can play a strategic role in accessing the Latin American market"
İKMİB Board Chairman Adil Pelister stated that Chile is a country with high potential for development in Turkish health sector exports. Recalling that customs duties on health products have been eliminated thanks to the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in force between Turkey and Chile since 2011, Pelister made the following assessment:

"This situation provides an important advantage for Turkish products to enter the Chilean market more easily. Chile is located at the center of the Pacific Alliance's (Chile, Peru, Colombia, Mexico) logistics and financial integration. Therefore, duty-free access to a market of a total 230 million population is possible through the alliance.

Furthermore, Chile ranks among the top countries in Latin America in terms of ease of doing business and has a developing health system with a continuously growing import buyer profile. Looking at our pharmaceutical products exports to Chile, while exports of USD 2.96 million were realized in 2024, USD 1.65 million in exports were realized in the first seven months of this year. There is a 7.5 percent decline compared to the same period last year. Trade missions and fair organizations we arrange are of great importance for increasing exports and achieving stability.

As İKMİB, we attach importance to our companies' participation in the events we organize. For our health sector, Chile can assume a more strategic role in accessing the Latin American market in the future thanks to the FTA and logistical conveniences. We will continue our trade mission organizations to capitalize on this potential."

Over 120 bilateral meetings held
Within the scope of the mission, major pharmacy chains were visited; meetings were held with the Chilean Pharmaceutical Laboratories Industry Association (ASILFA), the Chilean Hospitals and Clinics Association and the Chile-Turkey Chamber of Commerce to obtain important information about the health sector.

On the second day of the mission, a meeting was organized with the participation of T.C. Trade Counselor Peyman Gülfam Bilgin, during which Chile's National Laboratories Chamber provided information about the pharmaceutical sector. The program was attended by a total of 25 buyers: 21 from Chile, 1 from Uruguay, 1 from Bolivia, 1 from Panama and 3 from Peru. Over 120 bilateral meetings were held between Turkish firms and foreign buyers.