Exploitation of cork in Portugal

Every nine years the cork is extracted from the cork oak by means of axes. Each time the cork is extracted it is written the year in which the cork was cut in the cork oak. With the cork are made stoppers for the wine bottles, they are used as insulation in the construction and panels are made. Cork. Oaks. Production

In Portugal, 32% of the cork oaks are found in the world. The second country with the most cork oaks is Spain with 22% of cork oaks. Portugal is the world's largest producer of cork: it produces 160 thousand tons a year, that is, 54% of the cork produced worldwide. It is followed by Spain, which produces 19%. 72% of the Portuguese cork is produced in the Alentejo. Export

Portugal is the one that exports 60% of the exports of cork which gives a profit of 850 million a year. The second largest exporter of cork is Spain: 19%. The main importers of Portuguese cork are France (19.88%) and the United States (16.48%) Portugal is also the main exporter of corks in the world. Import

Portugal, although the world's largest producer and exporter of cork, is also the world's largest importer of cork used for the manufacture and subsequent export of final consumer products. In 2007, imports amounted to 131 million euros, or 63 thousand tons of cork.

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