Chile to improve legislation to ensure free competition

Chilean President Sebastian Pinera announced Friday that his country is ready to improve legislation to ensure free competition. "The government will set up a work group which will advise the president and the finance ministry to improve the legal framework," said Pinera. Pinera said the initiative is to enhance and protect free competition in the country and punish "with the maximum severity" those behaviors that go against free competition. The reform came after the country's chicken producers were accused of colluding to fix prices and merchandize their products. The involved companies, which account for 90 percent of the domestic chicken market, might be fined more than 100 million U.S. dollars. Pinera said that should the companies be found guilty of violating free competition rules, "the law will be enforced with rigor." Chicken accounts for 39 percent of Chile's total meat production.