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Warning Issued Over Decline in Shipments from Fishing and Forestry Sectors

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• The shutdown of Puerto Coronel would explain the drop in figures during April in the Region. Meanwhile, projections suggest this scenario could repeat in the coming months.

According to the latest figures released by the National Statistics Institute (INE), exports in the Biobío Region fell by 28.3% over twelve months, totaling only $398.1 million in April. This contraction was attributed to sectors such as fishing and industry.

Similarly, cargo mobilized and handled by regional ports also showed a 23.3% decline between April 2023 and the same period in 2024, due to reduced activity in services like foreign unloading and cabotage.

The INE report detailed that between January and April of this year, 8,518,734 tons of cargo were mobilized through the region's ports, a 3.4% drop compared to the same period last year. This was influenced by foreign unloading services (-14.6%) and cabotage (-3.6%). Meanwhile, foreign loading services (8.3%), transit (3.3%), and restowage and transshipment (1.7%) saw increases.

Regarding this, Juan Pablo Pinto, director of the commercial engineering program at San Sebastián University, explained that "the strike at Puerto Coronel affected cargo loading and unloading activities in March and April 2024, thus strongly impacting the region's export cargo decline during that period. Considering that the forestry sector, one of the most impactful in the region's productive matrix, ships most of its products through this port. The fruit and agricultural sectors were also affected, having to seek alternative options to export their products."

SECTOR CONTRACTION 
Regarding exports, Alfredo Meneses, general manager of Asexma, stated that "when analyzing which indicators have driven this decline, it is concerning to see that the forestry sector saw a 20% drop in shipments. This is due to causes like the lack of plantations, linked to wildfires, raising significant concerns for the region's economic future."

In the case of the fishing sector, the representative of the Comex Board noted its relevance to the regional economy as it employs a large portion of the workforce. "The fishing sector saw a 42.5% contraction in shipments in April in the Region, reflecting declines in exports to international markets," he said.
Meneses added, "All this, despite a relatively stable exchange rate. Yet, the declines have been substantial (...) certainly, the Puerto Coronel strike has had a real effect. I suspect the next figures will also be low, as the impact of shipment declines due to the shutdown will be internalized."

Regarding regional cargo movement, Alfredo Meneses explained that most cargo not mobilized through Puerto Coronel was not absorbed by other regional ports. "Given Coronel's volume, much of it was redirected to the central zone, harming Biobío's logistics and adding to the concerning outlook for the forestry and fishing sectors, which are amid legislative discussions."
DESTINATIONS AND EXPORTING COMPANIES
Juan Pablo Pinto also noted that slow growth has led exporting companies to adopt conservative approaches, reducing—or in some cases maintaining—production without expansion. "In the region, exports related to the forestry sector, the southern commodity, have stagnated due to rising costs, largely driven by high inflation throughout much of 2023," the economist clarified.

While Alfredo Meneses acknowledged that these low figures stem from multisectoral factors, including inflation, he pointed out, "Looking at destinations, China saw a 44% drop and the U.S. a 14.3% decline—our two main trade partners saw reduced demand for our exports. With China, there’s also the safeguard issue involving Huachipato, adding another layer of uncertainty to the analysis."

Source: subscription edition ofEl Sur newspaper