ECUADOR – In the first quarter of 2024, Ecuador saw a 6.9% decline in its particleboard exports value, totaling USD 49.04 million, down from USD 52.70 million in the same period last year.

Novopan, the leading exporter of particleboard in the region, experienced a 7.0% drop in its exports, which amounted to USD 48.43 million and constituted 98.7% of Ecuador’s total particleboard exports for the quarter.

Colombia remained the primary export market for Ecuadorian particleboard, though exports to Colombia fell by 8.9% to USD 26.81 million. Likewise, exports to Peru, the second-largest market, fell by 14.6% to USD 16.58 million. Combined, Colombia and Peru accounted for 88.5% of Ecuador’s particleboard exports in the first quarter of 2023.

While Colombia hosts two local particleboard manufacturers, Peru does not have domestic production of the material.