Brazil's Pulp Production Rises Significantly in Early 2015

Indústria Brasileira de Árvores, Sao Paulo, Brazil, (the Brazilian Tree Industry) reported this past week that in the first two months of 2015, Brazilian pulp production increased 10.3% year-over-year, totaling 2.8 million metric tons. Paper production remained practically stable in the first two months of the year, at 1.7 million tons. In the wood panels segment, production in the first two months of 2015 totaled 1.2 million cubic meters, a 6% drop year-over-year.

Below are the other performance indicators for the planted trees industry, in the tenth edition of Cenarios Iba, the monthly bulletin of the Brazilian Tree Industry:

Exports Volume – In the first two months of 2015, pulp exports totaled 1.8 million metric tons, 6.3% higher than in the same period a year ago, when 1.7 million metric tons were exported. For the wood panels segment, the amount exported in the first two months of the year totaled 72,000 cubic meters, a 26.3% growth compared with a year ago, when exports totaled 57,000 cubic meters. Paper exports totaled 293,000 metric tons in the first two months of this year, 8.7% lower year-over-year.

Domestic Sales – Pulp sales in the domestic market in the first two months of 2015 remained practically stable year-over-year, totaling 291,000 metric tons. In the wood panels segment, domestic market sales reached one million cubic meters, 8.7% lower year-over-year. Paper sales totaled 837,000 metric tons, 7% lower than in the same period in 2014.

Exports revenue – In the first two months of 2015, export revenues from pulp, wood panels, and paper totaled $1.1 billion, a 6.3% drop from $1.2 billion in the same period a year ago. The industry's balance of trade in the first two months of the year was $899 million, 4.4% lower compared with the same period in 2014.