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Ñuble's Forestry Exports Accumulate 40.5% Increase Between January and April

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Between January and April 2025, the agricultural and forestry exports of the Ñuble region accumulated a total of US$492.8 million, representing a 22.1% increase compared to the US$403.7 million recorded in the same period last year, according to the Office of Agricultural Studies and Policies (ODEPA) of the Ministry of Agriculture, based on data from the Customs Directorate.

The expansion is mainly explained by the strong performance of the forestry industry, which, after facing a crisis in 2023 with a sharp decline in cellulose and timber shipments, began recovering its historical levels last year, with positive results in 2024 and the first four months of 2025. This contrasts with the modest growth in the region's agricultural exports.

With shipments totaling US$492.8 million, the Ñuble region accounted for 6% of the country's agricultural and forestry exports, ranking sixth nationally.

According to the ODEPA report, forestry shipments in the first four months of 2025 reached US$305.6 million, marking a 40.5% increase compared to January-April 2024, linked to improved external conditions for cellulose and timber. Meanwhile, agricultural exports totaled US$186.8 million, showing a 0.6% rise compared to the same period in 2024, driven by positive results in processed fruits and vegetable shipments.

Livestock shipments lagged further behind, totaling US$374 thousand during the period, reflecting a 22.8% decline compared to the first four months of 2024.

Main Sectors

In the sectoral analysis, cellulose shipments stood out with a 16.6% increase, reaching US$194 million. Similarly, processed wood (US$63.3 million) rose by 112.1%, while sawn timber (US$47.2 million) grew by 143% compared to the first four months of last year. Meanwhile, fresh fruit shipments (US$72.5 million) saw only a 1.3% increase in value, while processed fruits—mainly frozen (US$65.8 million)—expanded by 34.5% compared to January-April 2024.

Processed vegetables (US$11.8 million) recorded a 40.5% increase. On the other hand, the seed sector has not managed to reverse last year's poor performance, as seed exports (US$12.9 million) fell by 55.6% between January and April 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, due to lower demand in the Northern Hemisphere.

Destinations

The main destinations for Ñuble's agricultural and forestry shipments between January and April this year were China (38%), the United States (13%), Brazil, Japan, and Mexico (3% each), while the remaining 29% was distributed among other countries.

Source:La Discusión