ECUADOR – Ecuadorian particleboard (PB) / MDP exports exceeded USD 61.3 million in the first six months of 2019, a growth of 5.5 percent compared to the same period of the previous year.

It is worth remembering that in 2018 Ecuadorian PB / MDP exports reached a record USD 118.5 million.

Behind this outstanding performance is Novopan del Ecuador, which supplied 99.1 percent of the total particleboard (PB) / MDP exported by the country. As of June 2019, Novopan PB / MDP exports accumulated USD 60.75 million for a growth of 6.9 percent compared to the first six months of 2018.

The main external market for the Ecuadorian PB / MDP was Colombia. In 6M-2019 more than USD 33.1 million of Ecuadorian PB / MDP was dispatched for to the neighboring country, a drop of 2.8 percent compared to 6M-2018 shipments.

Peru was the second external market in importance for Ecuadorian particleboard with purchases for USD 25.03 million and significant growth of 18.7 percent compared to the same period of 2018. Peru added to Colombia represent 94.9 percent of Ecuadorian particleboard / MDP exports in the first six months of 2019.

While in Colombia there is domestic production of particleboard by Duratex Colombia and Primadera, in Peru national production is non-existent since the closure of Tableros Peruanos (Tapesa) in early 2017.