Brazil’s forest-based industry continues to be vibrant. In January 2018, exports from this sector totaled $901 million, or increase of 17.8%, with developments in pulp, paper, and wood panels. With this performance, the sector accounted for 14.6% of export values from Brazilian agribusiness companies, and 5.3% of the total sold abroad by all Brazilian companies. The trade surplus grew by 17.5%, reaching $807 million, as the Brazilian Tree Industry (Ibá) said in the press release received by Lesprom Network.
Latin America took the lead over other areas as a destination for wood panels and paper. This region accounted for 52.2% of the entire volume of Brazilian panel exports, the equivalent of $12 million, 9.1% more than January of 2017. For paper exports, Latin America expanded by 14.3% to total $112 million.
Sales in the internal market for wood panels increased by 13.3% to total 572,000 cubic metres. The paper sector closed January with a positive balance of 4.9%, totaling 429,000 tons sold. Packaging grew 2.1%, and sanitary paper expanded by 11.8%.
In January 2018, the sector registered growth in trade with the external market for panels and paper. Wood panels advanced 8.2% to reach 92,000 cubic metres. The paper segment demonstrated growth of 1.7%, with a total of 175,000 tons.