Decline in the Wood Manufacturing and Construction Industry in Querétaro

The downturn in the manufacturing and construction industries has reduced demand in the state's timber sector, according to representatives of the National Chamber of the Timber Industry (Canainma) in Querétaro.

In the first seven months of the year, timber companies have reported an average drop of between 22% and 24% in their sales, explained Fernando Lopez San Martin, secretary of Canainma in Querétaro. Some companies report declines of 8%, but in other specific cases, the drop reaches as high as 50%.

This trend is linked to the slowdown in economic activity, which results in lower demand for wood from the manufacturing industry that uses it for packaging and other processes.

“The economy has slowed down a bit; it looks like it’s going to start contracting.  (…) In addition to manufacturing, (they’re seeing an impact on demand in) construction; our colleagues who own lumberyards have been hit very hard by the slowdown in the construction industry; constructing a building requires a great deal of wood, so the decline in construction has indeed had a major impact on them,” said the secretary.

Despite this scenario, the sector appears confident that the situation will improve in the future, once certainty returns regarding the macroeconomic environment and tariff policies.

“This year has been better than last year—last year was terrible, but this year is just bad.

 We believe that as soon as there is clarity on certain issues related to exports and tariffs, and these matters are resolved to some extent or manufacturing—which is the main consumer of wood, along with the construction industry—returns to normal levels, once those two sectors return to normal, we will also return to normal,” the businessman emphasized.