Brazil's pulp and paper industry: developments

Pulp exports from Brazil saw a noteworthy increase

The increase of 8.2 percent, amounted to USD 4.1 billion. This surge was primarily driven by robust sales to China and North America, including the United States and Canada, while pulp exports to China witnessed a substantial rise of 25.4 percent, and exports to North America grew by 19.9 percent during this period.

The value of paper exports to North America experienced a commendable uptick of 20.8 percent totaling R$ 130.8 million between January and June, according to Ibá. It's worth noting that the paper segment encompasses various categories such as packaging, printing, writing, tissue, newsprint, cardboard, and others. During the first half of 2023, China emerged as the primary destination for Brazilian pulp exports, totaling USD 1.8 billion, followed by Europe with USD 1 billion.

In terms of paper, Latin America continued to be Brazil's primary buyer, with total sales of USD 824 million. In production, Brazilian pulp production reached an impressive 12 million tons during the first half of 2023, while paper manufacturing amounted to 5.3 million tons. Of this, 2.9 million tons were for packaging, and 701 thousand tons were for sanitary purposes, marking a 4.6 percent increase. Domestically, paper sales in Brazil during the first half reached 2.6 million tons, while wood panels totaled 3.4 million m³. In international trade, pulp exports between January and June totaled 9.1 million tons, a growth of 1.5 percent. Paper exports reached 1.1 million tons, and wooden panels amounted to 499,000 m³.

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