Rio Negro Department

Rio Negro hosts major cellulose investments, with UPM's pulp mill transforming the department's economic profile. Forestry plantations—eucalyptus and pine for pulp production—now coexist with traditional cattle ranching. The Rio Negro provides river transport and water resources that pulp production requires.

Fray Bentos, historically famous for meat extract production (the Liebig factory supplied British troops for decades), now transitions toward forestry-based industry. The department's industrial heritage—meat processing gave way to pulp production—demonstrates how primary commodity processing shifts with global demand patterns. Cellulose has become one of Uruguay's largest export sectors.

Rio Negro demonstrates how foreign direct investment in processing industries can transform agricultural regions. Finnish and Swedish pulp companies brought capital, technology, and market access that Uruguayan agriculture alone could not generate.