In the first month of 2017, the volume of pulp exports in Brazil totaled 1.4 million tons, up 47.4% from the same month in 2016, when 959,000 tons were exported, as the Brazilian Tree Industry (Ibá) said in the press release received by Lesprom Network.
For the wood panels segment, the volume exported in January totaled 85,000 cubic metres, a growth of 57.4% since January of 2016, when 54,000 cubic metres were exported. Paper exports reached 172,000 tons in the first month of this year, a volume 10.3% higher than the 156,000 tons exported in the same month of 2016.
In January 2017 the sector recorded exports of $765 million (+18.4%); pulp reached 596 million (+21.1%), paper reached $150 million (+6.4%), and wood panels reached $19 million (+46.2%).
"As a result of the performance of forest-based industries, the sector's trade balance registered a positive balance of $687 million in January, a 24% increase compared to the first month of last year," says Elizabeth de Carvalhaes, Executive President of Ibá.
China remains the most important destination for the Brazilian pulp sector, accounting for 46.8% of export revenue ($279 million) in the first month of the year, followed by Europe with 30% ($179 million). Meanwhile, Latin American countries were the main markets for paper and wood panels in the period, with exports to this region accounting for 65.3% ($98 million) and 57.9% ($11 million), respectively.
Brazilian pulp production reached 1.7 million tons (+4.8%) in January, and paper remained stable with a total of 862 million tons.
In the first month of 2017, paper sales on the domestic market reached 424,000 tons (-4.9%), while wooden panels registered sales of 508,000 cubic metres (+7.6%).