With the aim of strengthening the international presence of regional companies and opening new commercial opportunities, ProChile Ñuble continues to promote promotional actions aimed at diversifying export destinations for the forestry sector, especially toward Central America and other Latin American markets.
According to figures from ProChile's Market Intelligence Department, exports from the forestry sector of the Ñuble Region have achieved a positive recovery so far this year, reaching shipments of US$ 581 million during the January-August period, representing growth of 34.2%.
The regional director of ProChile in Ñuble, Matías Mandiola, valued these figures provided by the institution's Market Intelligence Department and explained that "the forestry sector is very relevant for the region, being the main exporting sector, representing 56% of the region's total shipments."
Mandiola explained that ProChile Ñuble has bet on Central America to diversify export markets, for which international promotion activities have been developed, with support from the Regional Government through the FNDR.
One of them was a trade mission to Guatemala and later the Chile Latam Business Meeting, held in Bogotá, Colombia, which included a business roundtable and in which six regional companies participated: Aserraderos San Joaquín, Comercial Guivar, Forestal León Limitada, Gravitacional, Reem and Concón Maderas.
"Our assessment of these activities has been very positive, both for the reception achieved in both destination markets and for the level of contacts made by the regional companies, which we hope will translate into new export deals for Ñuble," said Matías Mandiola.
Concón Maderas: regional experience with international projection
One of the companies participating in the activities in Central America and Colombia was Concón Maderas, a company specializing in the production of impregnated radiata pine wood. The company, which moved its production plant some years ago from the Valparaíso Region to the commune of Quirihue, in Ñuble, actively participated in the aforementioned business roundtables.
Its commercial manager, Álvaro Aravena, explained that the decision to install the production operation in Ñuble responded mainly to strategic reasons linked to the supply of raw materials.
From Quirihue, where more than 130 people work, the company produces and distributes its products to domestic customers and its network of branches. In total, Concón Maderas has approximately 160 workers and recently opened its tenth branch, located in Concepción.
Its offering is concentrated in impregnated radiata pine wood, including rough-sized, planed and processed products, as well as siding, decking wood, crossarms and posts. Although most of its activity is oriented toward the domestic market, the firm maintains an export trajectory of approximately 15 years, with Mexico as one of its main destinations and operations also toward Central American countries.
In this process, the work developed alongside ProChile has been considered by the company as a relevant factor for expanding its international presence. Álvaro Aravena especially highlighted participation in business roundtables held in Chile and later in trade missions to Guatemala and Colombia, instances that, he explained, allowed him to gain experience in this type of meeting and establish direct contact with potential buyers.
Aravena explained that "Guatemala presents opportunities especially in the post segment, while in Colombia and other countries in the region there are possibilities associated with products such as crossarms."
The efforts are still at a stage of commercial exploration for both markets, but they reflect the potential of Ñuble's forestry companies to expand their international presence and move toward greater market diversification.
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