SANTIAGO: Chile forestry exports rose 38 percent from January through July, boosted by high cellulose prices and solid demand in Asia, the government said on Wednesday.
Exports totaled $2.97 billion in the first seven months of the year, the Agriculture Ministry said in a report.
"These numbers are due to the positive performance of cellulose in international markets ... and are helping to boost its relative weight among exports," the ministry said.
Cellulose exports totaled over $1.67 billion, up 45 percent from the same period a year earlier, the report said.
The government said the forestry sector's medium-term outlook was good, citing strong demand in China and some European Union countries.
Forestry exports totaled $4.34 billion in 2010, up 19 percent from 2009 levels.
The forestry sector in Chile, led by firms like industrial conglomerate Copec, which has a pulp unit, forestry group CMPC and Masisa, is expecting exports to rise 14 percent this year.
Copyright Reuters, 2011
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