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Biobío: Exports of Sawn Wood and Paper Products Show Significant Drop in First Quarter

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During the first months of this year, exports from the forestry sector in Biobío have shown declines in the first quarter of 2025. This was revealed by the regional bulletin on agricultural, forestry, and livestock exports, prepared by the Office of Agrarian Studies and Policies (Odepa) of the Ministry of Agriculture.

Specifically, during this first part of the year, "the export of sawn wood fell by 14.9%, equivalent to US$97.7 million, due to lower prices and a reduction in volumes shipped to Mexico and China. Decreases were also observed in paper group products, such as coated multilayer cardboard, which dropped by 8.1%," stated the Regional Ministerial Secretary (Seremi) of Agriculture, Pamela Gatti.

Despite the above, the Seremi noted that Chilean forestry exports reached US$1,602.5 million during these months, representing a 4.9% growth compared to the same period the previous year. Recall that in 2024, the sector closed with shipments totaling US$6,370.7 million, a 14.7% increase over 2023.

On this matter, the Seremi of Economy for Biobío, Javier Sepúlveda, said, "While the forestry export figures for the first quarter of 2025 show a decline compared to previous years, we continue to see this sector as the main driver of development in the Region (...) This reaffirms the leading role our Region plays in the national forestry industry (...) These variations are due to global factors, such as lower international demand and changes in market prices, but they do not alter our commitment to continue strengthening this strategic sector for our economy."

Thus, in the face of global challenges, such as new tariffs imposed by the United States, economic slowdown, and environmental demands from developed markets, the Seremi of Agriculture assured that the Chilean forestry sector has the capacity to adapt and remain a key driver of the national economy.

An example of this is the actions being carried out by the Chilean Forestry Institute (Infor), an entity that, according to Gatti, is implementing measures to strengthen innovation, the development of higher-value-added products, and the adoption of sustainable standards to meet new international market demands.

For his part, the Seremi of Economy also reported that "through the Industrial Strengthening Plan, concrete measures are being promoted to transition toward a new forestry development model, which includes sustainable reforestation processes for small and medium-sized landowners, as well as productive sophistication with modern wood construction methods (...) We fully trust in the sector's ability to adapt to challenges and continue being a driver of development for the region."

Regarding the sector and industry associations, it is worth mentioning that Diario Concepción exhausted resources to learn the perspective of the Chilean Wood Corporation (Corma); however, the entity did not agree to provide responses.

Products That Recorded Growth

On the other hand, among the materials that saw growth in exports during the first quarter, the 'star' and most 'solid' product was chemical pulp, accounting for over 50% of total exports. Additionally, bleached eucalyptus and radiata pine pulp stood out, along with sustained growth in wood moldings and panels.

"The main driver of growth was, once again, chemical pulp, which led exports with US$904.9 million, representing 56.5% of total exports in the first quarter," said Gatti.

Similarly, bleached eucalyptus pulp showed performance with shipments of US$480.9 million, equivalent to a 28.9% increase compared to the same period the previous year. Following this, exports of bleached radiata pine pulp reached US$311.4 million, reflecting a 14.9% growth.

According to the Seremi of Agriculture, these results reflect the sector's efforts to maintain its competitiveness in a complex international scenario. "Demand from key markets like China has been crucial in sustaining export dynamism, despite a challenging global context."

Continuing, wood moldings closed the first quarter with total orders of US$71.9 million, recording an 11.4% growth, with the United States as the main importing partner.

Likewise, wood panels remained stable at around US$146.4 million, with radiata pine plywood panels standing out, primarily shipped to the United States and Mexico.

When asked about projections, Gatti stated, "The outlook for the coming months is moderate, though conditioned by the evolution of the global context, in response to which the Ministry of Agriculture will continue monitoring the international scenario in line with its commitment to support the sector in its adaptation and sustainable growth process."

Meanwhile, the Seremi of Economy, Javier Sepúlveda, concluded by emphasizing the importance of "the forestry industry not only maintaining its leadership but also advancing toward greater diversification, added value, and sustainability."

Source:Diario Concepción