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Paper and Cardboard Lead Forest Imports

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• The forestry sector shows a decline in product revenues, with the exception of solid biofuels, which have recorded an unprecedented increase.

The landscape of forest imports has undergone significant changes during 2023, according to the forestry statistics report from Infor. The three main groups—comprising paper, cardboard and their manufactures, furniture and its parts, as well as boards and veneers—accounted for 83.0% of total imports in this sector.

However, most of these groups saw a decline compared to the previous year, with notable drops in chemical pulp at 44.9% and furniture and its parts at 43.8%. In contrast, pellets, briquettes, sawdust, and wood chips have experienced exponential growth, exceeding the previous year's export figures by more than twenty times.

In detail, forestry sector imports were dominated by the Paper, Cardboard, and Their Manufactures group, which represented 65.7% of the total, with a value of US$991.4 million. Despite being the most relevant group, it suffered a 38.0% decrease compared to 2022.

Within this group, uncoated paper for printing and writing has been the product with the highest import volume, reaching US$130.4 million CIF, equivalent to 13.2% of the group. It is followed by Kraft liner paper and cardboard at 8.8%, and other household-use papers and articles at 7.5%. These three products make up 29.4% of the total group.

This mixed outlook in forest imports reflects the market's adaptation to new economic conditions and sector demands. While some traditional products have seen reduced importance, others, such as solid biofuels, have gained significant ground. This shift could indicate a trend toward diversification and the search for more sustainable alternatives within the forestry industry.