Marinha Grande, 19 March 2024 (Agroportal) – Agroportal highlighted the conclusions of the RN21 Integrated Project workshop, organised by CoLAB ForestWISE, which brought together partners from across the value chain to discuss the future of the Natural Resin sector.
A sector at a turning point
The central message was clear: without change, the sector risks becoming marginal. Marco Ribeiro, president of Resipinus – Association of Resin Distillers and Tappers, recalled that in the 1970s Portugal was the world’s second-largest resin exporter and that today there are around 500 resin tappers, with an average age close to 60. Production costs exceeding revenue, a lack of forest management and the absence of reliable data on the area of pine forest suitable for tapping are among the challenges identified.
Measures to revitalise the sector
The proposals presented include genetic improvement, training and professionalisation of resin tappers, mechanisation, more effective stimulant pastes, the use of closed containers, payment for positive environmental externalities, traceability and certification, and a joint strategy for the sector.
For Carlos Fonseca, CTO of CoLAB ForestWISE, RN21 is a unique opportunity to transform the sector. He argues that the sector should organise itself so that, by the end of the project, a cluster emerges that can represent it and continue the consortium’s work, giving Natural Resin a central role in land management once again.
Originally published in Agroportal.