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The Private Meeting of CMPC President Luis Felipe Gazitúa with Business Leaders from Biobío

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• Although Gazitúa frequently travels to the south of the country to visit the company's offices and plants, this time the visit was due to an invitation from various players in the business world.

This past Friday, the president of Empresas CMPC, Luis Felipe Gazitúa, made a discreet visit to the Biobío region.

While Gazitúa often travels to the south of the country to tour the company's offices and plants, this visit had a special reason: to respond to an invitation from various players in the business and forestry sectors to discuss what the paper company's top executive has termed a "retrenchment of the forestry industry" in Chile.

This argument was developed in the letter to CMPC shareholders published in the company's Integrated Report and further elaborated in an interview with Señal DF last Saturday.

After reviewing both statements, the board of the Biobío Production and Commerce Confederation (CPC Biobío) and members of the Futuro Madera group—which brings together various players in the forestry and paper sector, especially SMEs—asked Gazitúa to explain the details of his diagnosis firsthand.

Thus, in a hotel in Concepción and behind closed doors, Gazitúa first met with representatives of the latter group. During the conversation, some attendees noted that there was agreement on the pessimistic scenario described by Gazitúa, particularly regarding the need for some form of support to encourage small and medium-sized forest owners to replant their lands.

Similarly, there was also consensus that the security conditions in the region, as well as in La Araucanía, are the biggest deterrent to investment by small and medium-sized producers.

Gazitúa conveyed to them that his push is precisely to try to raise his voice in favor of SMEs in the sector. "We care deeply about the state of the industry in Chile, but of course, we have far more options than you. We can set up operations in other countries where there is greater understanding and appreciation for the forestry sector. Fifteen years ago, we didn’t have a single peso invested in Brazil, and today CMPC is the Chilean company with the most investments in that country. We operate in seven states, with 10 factories, and there we already produce more pulp than here," he told them.

The meeting was attended by the National President of Pymemad, Michel Esquerré; the President of Pymemad Biobío Ñuble, Víctor Sandoval; the President of Corma Biobío, Alejandro Casagrande; the Manager of the Association of Forestry Contractors, René Muñoz; the President of the Native Forest Owners Association, José Cárter; the General Manager of the College of Forestry Engineers, Julio Torres; and the President of the Chilean Biomass Association, Rodrigo O’Ryan.
After this meeting, it was the turn of the CPC Biobío, where many of the same points discussed with forestry representatives were reiterated.

Some members of the CPC Biobío also raised concerns about the critical situation facing the region, particularly in light of the potential closure of Huachipato, port stoppages, and other threats.

In this context, the CPC Biobío board agreed to express to Gazitúa their "deep concern" over the "real possibility" that this forestry retrenchment could worsen, especially since this industry is the most important in the region, generating over 72,000 direct and indirect jobs—equivalent to 16% of the region's employment.
The meeting included the entire CPC Biobío board, led by its president, Álvaro Ananías; vice president Nelson Donoso; director José Miguel Stegmeier, among others.
Additionally, the Governor of Biobío, Rodrigo Díaz, also participated.

Source:www.dfmas.cl