Brazil’s Pulp, Paper Exports Rise

The Brazilian Tree Industry reported that in the first half of 2017 (January - June) pulp exports rose 6.8% in comparison with the same period of the previous year, reaching 6.8 million tons; exports of wood panels increased by 34.8%, with 597,000 cubic meters directed to foreign markets, and paper exports grew 1% with almost 1.1 million tons traded, paperage reported. This positive performance propelled export revenues past the $4 billion mark in the first half of this year—a growth of 7.3% compared to the first six months of 2016. It also created a $3.6 billion surplus in the trade balance for the sector, an increase of 9.1%. From January to June of 2017, pulp exports reached $3 billion (+9.8%), while paper exports were $925 million (-2.0%) and wood panel exports reached $137 million (+25.7%). More than 42% of the pulp Brazil exported went to China in the first half of 2017, representing revenues of $1.3 billion; this is an increase of 25.5% over the same period in 2016.