If no changes are made in the Natural Resin sector, it risks becoming residual in the near future. Professionals believe that this is a key moment to decide whether to make a serious investment in the sector or to continue as things are.
Professionals from the Natural Resin sector met this afternoon in a workshop of the RN21 Integrated Project, organized by CoLAB ForestWISE®, where concerns about the future were expressed, and several measures were suggested to develop this area.
In the 1970s, Portugal became the second-largest resin exporter in the world. Since then, this activity has experienced a drastic decline, with currently around 500 resin workers in the country, according to Marco Ribeiro, president of Resipinus – Association of Distillers and Resin Explorers, one of the partners of this consortium.
This sector faces several constraints, namely the fact that production costs are higher than revenue, the lack of forest management in the national territory, the uncontrolled growth of pine forests, the average age of resin workers being around 60 years, and the lack of information on the number of resinable hectares in Portugal.
With the RN21 Integrated Project, which brings together, for the first time, the entire value chain of the country’s Natural Resin sector in an integrated and research-driven consortium promoting innovation, the conditions are created to boost this sector by modernizing and revitalizing one of the most traditional areas of the national economy.
“This is a key moment to decide the future. Whether we want to invest in resin extraction or not,” emphasizes Marco Ribeiro, president of Resipinus.
According to the president of Resipinus, the way forward involves genetic improvement, training and professionalization of resin workers, mechanization of the activity, creation of adapted stimulant pastes, use of closed containers, remuneration for positive externalities, traceability, certification, valorization of the raw material, and implementation of a joint strategy.
Carlos Fonseca, Chief Technology Officer of CoLAB ForestWISE®, considers the RN21 Integrated Project a “unique opportunity” to transform the Natural Resin sector in Portugal.
“The aim is for Natural Resin to regain a central role in land management,” he emphasizes, considering it necessary “for the sector to organize so that, at the end of this process, a resin cluster exists, representing the sector and ensuring the continuity of the RN21 consortium’s momentum, maximizing everything this project brings positively to the country.”
Natural Resin is used in the composition of several products, including paints, varnishes, chewing gum, hot glue, rubber, adhesive tapes, among others.