Although total exports from the Biobío Region recorded a year-on-year fall of 22.9% in June, the forestry sector remained one of the pillars of export activity, even showing slight growth in some items.

According to the latest bulletin of the National Statistics Institute (INE), forestry shipments - grouped in the Forestry Industry category - reached US$98.3 million, representing an increase of 4.7% over the same month in 2024. This performance contrasts with the sharp decline in the Manufacture of pulp, paper and cardboard (-28.3%) and foodstuffs (-38%), which affected the total industrial sector.

In the breakdown by product, sawn timber was one of the protagonists, with exports of US$44.7 million, an increase of 2.7% year-on-year and equivalent to 13.8% of the regional total. Plywood (+21.2%) and wood profiles and mouldings (+4.0%) also stood out.

Despite the decline in pulp, which remains the region's main export product (31.3% of the total), diversification into wood products allowed the forestry component to maintain its weight in the export basket: three of the six main products exported from Biobío come directly from the forestry industry.

The main destinations for these products continue to be China, the United States and South Korea, markets that together account for a significant part of international demand for pulp and processed wood.

June's performance confirms that, even in a scenario of general export contraction, the Biobío forestry sector remains internationally competitive and adaptable, underpinned by a combination of raw materials and higher value-added manufactures.

Source: acoforag