Showcasing GFTN’s Certified Wood Market in Latin America and the Caribbean
© Edwin Magarinos / WWF
Strong interest in the GFTN’s certified offering was expressed by committed companies seeking credibly certified sources of hardwoods native to Latin America at the World Forestry Congress Business Roundtable.
The GFTN showcased its certified offering in Latin America and the Caribbean in the first Business Roundtable held within the World Forestry Congress, organized by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization on October 21 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Strong interest in the GFTN’s certified offering was particularly expressed by companies from Germany, the Netherlands, Singapore, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina, who are seeking credibly certified sources of hardwoods native to Latin America.
The World Forestry Congress is a major international event dedicated to forestry and environment issues and now in its thirteenth edition, the Congress devoted a full day to strengthening the global trading networks through a Business Roundtable, organized by the government of Argentina and sponsored by FAO and USAID/BOLIVIA, whose objective was to strengthen long term business relationships.
“Foresters know that after planting, there will be much to reap, and just as they expect well-rooted trees to begin growing, we also intend to plant and prepare for when there are good business opportunities,” said Daniel Maradei, Organizer of Business Roundtable.
The Business Roundtable organized a series of face-to-face meetings in a dynamic business environment where participating companies related to forestry worldwide could interact and broaden their commercial networks. Over 200 businesses from 31 countries participated in the Roundtable, creating business intentions of US$36 million from the roughly 900 meetings that occurred during the day-long event.
GFTN-Latin America and Caribbean (GFTN-LAC) actively participated in the roundtable, presenting the certified product offering from the national GFTN programmes in Bolivia and Peru and elsewhere throughout Latin America. The GFTN-LAC representatives presented the responsibly managed supply of forest products from their respective members, with an approximate total of 60 business meetings where they could collect useful information on current market demands that could be transferred to its member companies.
“The main challenge of GFTN-LAC lies in meeting the sustainability challenges of the forest sector with the economic viability of its members through a market based mechanism. This is why participation at trade events, such as the World Forestry Congress Business Roundtable, is a high priority and can provide business links of the certified wood supply of GFTN-LAC participants with global markets for responsible forest products” said Raúl Dancé, coordinator of GFTN-LAC’s trade efforts.
For more information contact Raúl Dancé (rdance@wwfca.org)
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