SANTIAGO, Chile, April 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile S.A. (SQM) (NYSE: SQM; Santiago Stock Exchange: SQM-B, SQM-A) announced today that it has filed its 2011 Annual Report on Form 20-F with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Form 20-F is available on the Company's website (www.sqm.com).

To request a hard copy, free of charge, of the Company's complete audited financial statements contained in the Annual Report on Form 20-F, please contact the Company, via telephone (56 2-425-2485) or email (ir@sqm.com), or by writing to the following address:

El Trovador 4285, Piso 6, Las Condes, Santiago, Chile

SQM is an integrated producer and distributor of specialty plant nutrients, iodine, lithium, potassium-related fertilizers and industrial chemicals.  Its products are based on the development of high quality natural resources that allow the Company to be a leader in costs, supported by a specialized international network with sales in over 100 countries. SQM's development strategy aims to maintain and strengthen the Company's position in each of its businesses.

The leadership strategy is based on the Company's competitive advantages and on the sustainable growth of the different markets in which it participates. SQM's main competitive advantages in its different businesses include:

• Low production costs based on vast and high quality natural resources;
• Know-how and its own technological developments in its various production processes;
• Logistics infrastructure and high production levels that allow SQM to have low distribution costs;
• High market share in all its core products;
• International sales network with offices in more than 20 countries and sales in over 100 countries;
• Synergies from the production of multiple products that are obtained from the same two natural resources;
• Continuous new product development according to the specific needs of its different customers;
• Conservative and solid financial position.

For further information, contact: Kelly O'Brien, 56-2-4252074 / kelly.obrien@sqm.com

Isabel Bendeck, 56-2-4252058 / isabel.bendeck@sqm.com

Mark Fones, 56-2-4252485 / mark.fones@sqm.com

For media inquiries, contact: Fabiola Scianca, 56-2-4252027 / fabiola.scianca@sqm.com

Statements in this press release concerning the Company's business outlook, future economic performances, anticipated profitability, revenues, expenses, or other financial items, anticipated cost synergies and product or service line growth, together with other statements that are not historical facts, are "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined under Federal Securities Laws.

Any forward-looking statements are estimates, reflecting the best judgment of SQM based on currently available information and involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those stated in such statements. Risks, uncertainties, and factors that could affect the accuracy of such forward-looking statements, are identified in the public filing made with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and forward-looking statements should be considered in light of those factors.

SOURCE SQM