South America’s leading wood panels producer Masisa SA reported a financial loss for the first nine months of 2009 due to falling demand resulting from the global economic crisis.

However, despite losses totalling more than US$40m over the period, Masisa also reported a sales recovery in the third quarter of the year compared with the last three months of 2008.

Highlighting the impact of the world recession, the overall loss was in contrast to a profit of $28m during the same three month period in 2008.