ECUADOR - Ecuadorian exports of particleboard / MDP (PB/MDP) reached USD 29.6 million in the first three months of 2020 (1Q-2020), a drop of 3.6 percent compared to 1Q-2019 (USD 30.7 million ).

It is important to point out that 2019 was a record year for Ecuadorian PB/MDP exports as they reached USD 128.1 million.

Novopan del Ecuador supplied 98.6 percent of the total exported by the country. In 1Q-2020, Novopan’s PB/MDP exports reached USD 29.2 million, a decrease of 4.0 percent compared to 1Q-2019 (USD 30.4 million).

The main external market for the Ecuadorian PB/MDP was again Colombia. In 1Q-2020, Ecuadorian PB/MDP for USD 16.8 million was exported to the neighboring country, a slight drop of 1.2 percent compared to exports in the same period of 2019 (USD 17.0 million).

Peru was the second most important market for Ecuadorian PB/MDP, although with a sharp drop of 13.9 percent compared to the same period in 2019. Shipments to Peru fell from USD 11.9 million in 1Q-2019 to USD 10.3 million in 1Q-2020.

Peru with Colombia represented 91.5 percent of Ecuadorian particleboard exports in 1Q-2020. While in Colombia there is local production of particleboard by Duratex Colombia and Primadera, in Peru there has been no production since the closure of Tableros Peruanos S.A. (Tapesa) in early 2017.

Another interesting development in the period was the noticeable growth of Ecuadorian exports of PB/MDP to the United States. Albeit the marketing strategies of the producers, this growth can be explained by the additional duties imposed on Chinese imports by the Trump administration.