Colombia and other Latin American markets are gaining increasing relevance for the diversification of Chilean forestry exports, particularly in segments such as wood panels, biomass, processed wood, packaging and containers, and technological solutions for the industry.
This opportunity was evident at the Chile–Latam Bogotá 2026 Business Meeting, organized by ProChile, which brought together 29 Chilean companies with more than 60 buyers from nine Latin American markets and includes over 300 business meetings.
The activity seeks to strengthen Chile's commercial ties with Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, the Dominican Republic, and El Salvador, markets that appear as alternatives for expanding the international presence of national products and services.
Wood panels grow 35.3% in Colombia
In the forestry sector, the figures show a particularly positive signal. Between January and July 2026, Chilean exports of wood panels to Colombia reached US$22 million, recording a growth of 35.3% compared to the same period in 2025.
The result confirms the potential of the Colombian market for the wood industry and opens space to deepen the presence of Chilean companies in a scenario where destination diversification becomes increasingly strategic.
The delegation linked to the forestry sector includes the Chilean Wood Corporation (CORMA), the Chilean Biomass Association (AchBIOM), the Guild Association of Small and Medium Wood Industrialists of Chile (Pymemad), and the National Center of Excellence for the Wood Industry (Cenamad).
The participation of these actors aims not only to promote forestry products but also to generate contacts and explore opportunities for cooperation, innovation, and technology transfer.
Biomass and technology expand the offering
Latin American interest is not limited to wood and its derivatives. Biomass, technological solutions, and the digitalization of forestry processes also appear as areas with growth potential.
The incorporation of companies linked to Industry 4.0 allows expanding the offering toward automation, monitoring, information management, logistics, and production process optimization solutions, technologies that can find applications in both the forestry industry and the wood and agro-industrial sectors.
In this context, Chile seeks to position itself not only as a supplier of raw materials and processed products but also as a partner capable of delivering technology, knowledge, and solutions to improve the productivity and sustainability of production chains.
Colombia as a regional platform
Colombia's relevance is also explained by the overall dynamism of the commercial relationship with Chile. Between January and July 2026, Chilean non-copper non-lithium exports to that market exceeded US$735 million, with growth of 11.6% compared to the same period the previous year.
Although services, apples, and seafood products concentrate a large portion of shipments, the performance of wood panels, with growth of 35.3%, shows that there are concrete spaces for the forestry industry.
The challenge now is to transform that growth into long-term commercial relationships and use Colombia as a platform to deepen the presence of Chilean companies in other Latin American markets.
For the forestry industry, this takes on special importance in an international scenario marked by trade changes, greater environmental demands, and the need to diversify destinations.
An agenda seeking new markets
The business session was preceded by technical visits and meetings with Colombian institutions and companies, including the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Businessmen of Colombia (ANDI). An investment opportunities agenda was also developed with the participation of InvestChile.
ProChile's General Director, Ignacio Fernández, highlighted the importance of Latin America within the internationalization strategy of Chilean companies and noted that the organization seeks to accompany them in their market diversification processes.
With more than 300 scheduled meetings, the event represents an opportunity for forestry, wood, biomass, and technology companies to directly learn about the needs of Latin American buyers and explore new business.
For the Chilean forestry sector, the message is clear: Colombia and Latin America can become increasingly relevant markets for diversifying exports and expanding the offering of wood, derived products, biomass, and technological solutions developed in Chile.
The growth of wood panels in Colombia demonstrates that this space already exists. The challenge is to deepen it and turn it into new opportunities for the entire forestry value chain.
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