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Biobío: Decline in Port Activity Hits Forestry Industry
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The National Statistics Institute (INE) revealed that between 2015 and 2024, 309 million tons were moved through the ports of the Biobío Region, with the forestry sector being one of the main players in this trade exchange. However, 2024 marked the lowest level of the decade with only 25.8 million tons, representing an 11% decrease compared to 2023.
The report details that 43% of the cargo corresponds to exports, primarily forestry products such as pulp, sawn wood, and paper, which historically lead the region's shipments. These are followed by imports at 37.2% and cabotage at 17.1%.
The year 2018 was the peak of activity, with 34.9 million tons mobilized, a figure that coincided with a boom in forestry exports. Since then, activity has shown fluctuations and, over the last three years, a sustained decline, explained by the decrease in solid bulk shipments—where a large part of the forestry cargo is concentrated—and the contraction of international trade.
Container shipments, meanwhile, represented an average of 62.9% of exports, reflecting the growing diversification and added value in the region's forestry products.
The industry association has warned that this downward trend affects the sector's competitiveness, as Biobío concentrates a significant portion of Chile's forestry logistics chain, with a direct impact on employment, investments, and the operations of small and medium-sized timber enterprises.
In contrast, cabotage showed resilience until 2018, but 2024 also recorded its worst level in ten years, with 4.7 million tons, affected by the decline in landed cargo.
The situation poses a strategic challenge: how to strengthen the port and logistics infrastructure of Biobío to regain dynamism in a sector that is key not only to the region but to the entire Chilean economy.
