Foreign trade

To explore the national dynamics of export and import of forest products in Brazil, the open data of Foreign Trade Statistics (Comex Stat System), published by the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services (MDIC), and the classes of forest products used by the National Forest Information System (SNIF) are used. The historical series covers the period from 2018 to 2023.

ERRATA: the first version of this publication used information from the variable “Statistical Quantity”, provided by Comex Stat, since each of the evaluated products have different measurement units. However, large discrepancies were observed in some of the reported values, even though they were consistent with the original source. After recommendation from the MDIC and in agreement with the note on statistical quantity published by Comex Stat, the values currently shown here consider the variable “Net Weight (Kilogram)”, which provides better quality data, even though it is also self-declared by foreign trade operators. Therefore, in the current version of this book, the quantity information of all products is presented in net tons, supplemented by revised analyses.

Export

In 2023, the main Timber Forest Products exported by Brazil in terms of quantity were: wood pulp (18.9 million t), paper and cardboard (2.2 million t), wood chips and particles (1.5 million t), lumber (1.5 million t), logging wood (1.4 million t) and plywood (1.2 million t). Between 2022 and 2023, in terms of sales value, there was an increase in exports of wood pellets, charcoal, and unworked wooden arches.

Among the main Non-Timber Forest Products exported, yerba mate, essential oils (such as pine, eucalyptus, rosewood, and cedar), tanning extracts (mimosa, oak, quebracho, among others) and vegetable oils such as babassu and palm oil stand out. Even so, there was a decrease in the export volume of vegetable oils (although this was offset by higher prices for exported palm oil) and tanning extracts. From 2022 to 2023, there was a significant increase in natural rubber exports, with a 111% growth in export value. Furthermore, between 2018 and 2023, exports of açaí puree increased by 3,350%, peaking in 2021 at 181 tons.

As for the values obtained with exports in 2023, the Pulp product represented the largest part of the collection followed by Paper and Cardboard. The sum of the values of non-timber products represented about 3%.

Source: Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services (MDIC, 2024).

Main destinations of Brazilian exports

In 2023, Brazil's main trading partners were China ($4 billion FOB) and the United States ($3 billion FOB). The United States mainly imports pulp, profiled wood, and lumber, while China stands out for importing pulp, lumber, and wood chips and particles, as well as log timber.

Source: Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services (MDIC, 2024).

Import

In 2023, the main Timber Forest Products imported by Brazil in terms of quantity were: paper and cardboard (567.9 thousand t), charcoal (31.2 thousand t), lumber (23.0 thousand t), secondary paper products (18.8 thousand t) and wood pulp (17.3 thousand t). Between 2022 and 2023, there was an increase in the imported quantity of laminated wood (32%), secondary paper products (31%), lumber (26%), and notably, wood pellets (289%). However, there was a sharp decrease in the imported quantity of wood pulp (-89%) and sawdust and wood waste (-82%).

Among the main Non-Timber Forest Products imported by Brazil in 2023 are vegetable oils (such as palm kernel, palm oil, tung, and jojoba), natural rubber, latex, and other nuts. Between 2022 and 2023, there was a 521% increase in the import of yerba mate, mainly from Argentina, Paraguay, and Ecuador. On the other hand, significant reductions were recorded in the imported quantities of natural rubber, latex, and vegetable oils.

In relation to the amounts invested in the import of Timber and Non-timber Forest Products in 2023, paper and cardboard represented the largest portion, with 47% of the total, followed by vegetable oils, which totaled 13%, and natural rubber, with 11%.

Source: Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services (MDIC, 2024).

Main origins of Brazilian imports

Brazil's main trading partners for imports in 2023 were China ($431 million FOB) and Indonesia ($196 million FOB). China mainly exported paper and cardboard to Brazil, while Indonesia stood out in the marketing of vegetable oils. Most of the natural rubber imported by Brazil comes from Thailand, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Malaysia and Vietnam.

Source: Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services (MDIC, 2024).