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President of CMPC: "In Chile, there have been no policies that value and promote the forestry industry for many years"

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• He stated that "the bulk here consists of thousands of small and medium-sized forestry producers and farmers, who complement their agricultural work with forestry planting. And there are new plantations, to which Chile is also committed but is not fulfilling, as well as replantations."

A few days ago, in a letter sent to shareholders, the President of CMPC, Luis Felipe Gazitúa, argued that "we are facing a setback that does not align with the global opportunities this industry presents."

In conversation with"La Mañana de Agricultura", Gazitúa expanded on his remarks, explaining that "this is not something that particularly affects us. The reason we are highlighting this issue is that the forestry industry is valuable and valued worldwide."

However, he pointed out that "the bulk here consists of thousands of small and medium-sized forestry producers and farmers, who complement their agricultural work with forestry planting. And there are new plantations, to which Chile is also committed but is not fulfilling, as well as replantations."

In this regard, he questioned that in Chile, "there have been no policies that value and promote the forestry industry for many years, unlike in other parts of the world. This has led to no new plantations and small and medium-sized forestry and agricultural producers not replanting after each harvest."

"And they don’t do it because there are no incentives, and on top of that, they face arson, theft, and land usurpation. The official estimate of productive forestry plantations was around 2.3 million hectares, according to the latest official figures. We have substantial evidence that it is now below two million hectares, and this stems from the phenomena I’ve mentioned," he added.

Factors Affecting the Industry

When asked about the elements influencing the issue, Gazitúa explained that "we have developed an industry over the last 50 years, somewhat quietly, without highlighting its virtues, while many myths have been built around water usage and the replacement of native forests with plantations."

"This has resulted in no public policies that value and encourage it. On the other hand, there are the phenomena you mention: land usurpation, fires, and timber theft," he noted.

Global Perspective

Regarding the global outlook on the matter, the president of CMPC stated that there are many examples.

"For instance, in Latin America. Uruguay, a few years ago, had a forestry industry representing 0.5% of GDP; this year, it will exceed 5%," he illustrated.

In Chile’s case, "in 2018, forestry exports accounted for nearly 10% of GDP; today, they are around 5%," he added.

"(…) Beyond current circumstances, what the State should do is recognize the value of this industry and establish public policies that provide incentives, especially for small and medium-sized producers, who number in the tens of thousands," he reflected.

Source:www.radioagricultura.cl