Paraguay has made its first export of pine resin to Brazil, marking a new milestone in the diversification of the country's forestry production. The initiative was led by Grupo Felber, in partnership with the Paraguayan Federation of Timber Producers (Fepama) and the company Resindur, represented by Luis Silva.
Carsten Felber, a director of the group, explained that the process required approximately eight months of work in a pine plantation, including controlled incisions in the trees and the periodic collection of the resin. Workers received training in Argentina to apply the necessary techniques.
The resin will be processed in Brazil, where it will be filtered, distilled, and transformed into two main derivatives: turpentine and rosin. The latter will be sent to a factory in Portugal for the production of paints, adhesives, depilatory waxes, and other products.
While the forestry sector celebrates this achievement, strong winds with gusts of up to 109 km/h (68 mph) caused damage in several regions of the country. In Itapúa, power poles fell and houses lost their roofs, leaving thousands without electricity in cities like Obligado, Encarnación, and Edelira.
The Paraguayan Volunteer Fire Department declared a national alert after fighting more than 70 forest fires in 48 hours. The wind gusts, which reached 90 km/h (56 mph) in several areas, facilitated the rapid spread of the flames, threatening a school in the Chaco region and the Cerro Kói reserve in Areguá.
The Directorate of Meteorology and Hydrology forecasts that the strong winds will continue until Saturday, with moderate to strong intensity across the entire national territory.