PULP AND PAPER PRODUCTION GROWS IN FIRST HALF

The Brazilian pulp and paper sector closed the first half of 2013 with a positive balance in the production and consumption, as the climate survey BRACELPA (Brazilian pulp and Paper Association). In the accumulated pulp production reached approximately 7.25 million tons, with a high of 4.8% over the volume of the same period in 2012, from 6.92 million tons. In volume, exports in the first half grew by 8.4%. In June, were produced 1.19 million tons of pulp, 9.8 percent more than in the same month of the previous year.
As for the paper, production totaled about 5.10 million tons in the first half, 1.5% more than in the first six months of last year. Of this total, 841 tons refer to June production, with little variation of 0.7% less than that of May this year. The sales volume in the domestic market, which amounted to 2.70 million tons, with an emphasis on packaging papers and for sanitary purposes, was discharged from 4.4% in the first half, compared to the same period in 2012.
With respect to the recipe of pulp and paper exports from January to June of 2013, there was an increase of 4% in revenues, totaling $ 3.45 billion, against $ 3.32 billion in the same period last year. Pulp sales to China, which is the second largest market for the Brazilian product, amounted to $ 731 million, an increase of 18.9%, while that for the main market, Europe, revenue fell 2.3% in the period, accumulating $ 1.03 billion.