• As part of the seminar Maule Invests: Building Today the Investment Opportunities of Tomorrow, both institutions formalized an agreement aimed at developing technical capabilities in the region and aligning local efforts with Chile’s national strategy for attracting foreign investment.

InvestChile and the Maule Regional Government signed a collaboration agreement to strengthen the promotion and attraction of foreign investment in the region. The agreement was signed during the seminar Maule Invests: Building Today the Investment Opportunities of Tomorrow, an event that brought together stakeholders from the public and private sectors and academia to analyze the region’s challenges and opportunities.

Regional Governor, Pedro Pablo Álvarez-Salamanca, highlighted the strategic nature of the event, saying that «we are very pleased to hold our first investment seminar in the Maule Region. Foreign investment is key to the region’s development, so we must continue to promote it. To do so, it is essential to have clear rules that provide certainty and confidence to those who wish to invest in Maule.»

The governor added that foreign investment «not only drives economic growth, but also creates jobs and better opportunities for our residents, allowing us to project a more prosperous Maule into the future.»

«For us, signing this agreement with the Maule Regional Government is very important, as it marks the beginning of a collaborative effort to strengthen the attraction of foreign investment in the region. One of our main challenges is to decentralize foreign investment and bring it to all parts of the country. In that sense, strengthening the capabilities of the Regional Government is key to achieving this goal. This will not only enable us to attract more investment and generate high-quality jobs, but will also have a positive impact on the local economy by strengthening suppliers, developing the industrial base, and fostering connections with companies that can provide services to incoming investments,» noted Juan Pablo Candia, InvestChile’s Acting Director.

Maule: A growing investment destination

During the seminar, the region’s main strengths as an investment destination were outlined. Over the past decade, the Maule Region has recorded GDP growth of nearly 29%, establishing itself as a resilient and expanding economy. It is also increasingly diversified, incorporating higher value-added sectors alongside its traditional agro-industrial base.

The growth of foreign direct investment reinforces this profile: over the last decade, the region’s FDI stock has tripled, surpassing US$4.5 billion and positioning it as an emerging investment destination in Chile.

From the private sector, Carolina Dosal, President of industry association Fruséptima, praised the initiative and called for stronger progress in key areas. «We need to promote foreign investment in ports, road infrastructure, and rural connectivity, recognizing that a large share of production takes place in rural areas,» she said. Dosal also noted that the region faces growing competition across Latin America, and stressed the importance of not falling behind.

Toward an active investment management model

The agreement also addresses one of the key challenges identified during the event: moving toward an active investment management model that reduces institutional gaps and improves project implementation in the region. With this approach, the Regional Government aims to position Maule as an investment hub in southern-central Chile, attracting capital, generating employment, and driving regional economic growth.

Among the authorities attending the seminar were the Regional Secretaries (Seremis) of Agriculture, Alejandro Muñoz, and Economy, Katherine Núñez; the Mayor of Parral, Patricio Ojeda; and regional council members Mirtha Segura, Patricio Domínguez, and Román Pavez.