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The Cork Industry There are at present more than 600 industrial facilities operating in Portugal, employing a labor force of about 15,000. Cork products were exported in 1990 to the tune of 80,433,356,000 escudos (corresponding to 105,516 tons). Imports of cork in the same year amounted to 8,141,580,000 escudos (23,859 tons). In the same period natural cork stoppers accounted for 55% of total cork product exports. At 44,614,694,000 escudos, this trade is worth more than the export of Port Wine.
The cork oak is one of the country's main forest species. Covering 660,000
hectares (22%), it is second only to the pine (1,249,00 hectares, 40%). |
The
present outlook for the cork industry in Portugal is extremely promising. The
country's cork oak forests represent 30% of the world total and Portugal
produces more than half of the world's cork.
Given that a cork oak produces cork tissue until it is 150 or even 200 years
old, during which time it may be stripped 15 to 18 times, and that the
average ages of trees presently in production is 85 years and that the area
under plantation is growing by an average of 4% a year, cork production can
look forward to a rosy future in Portugal. 
About
the Cork Oak
The
holm oak and the eucalyptus occupy 464,000 hectares (15%) and 435,000
hectares (14%) respectively. The remaining 280,000 hectares (9%) of
Portugal's forests are occupied by a variety of other species. Thanks to the
cork oak, Portugal is the world leader in the cork industry, producing more
and better than any of its competitors, and boasting the largest industrial
and marketing structure. 