Forestry sector aims for 10 pct growth in export in 2020

The forestry sector will strive to earn 12.5 billion USD from exports in 2020, up 10 percent year-on-year, said Deputy Director General of the Vietnam Administration of Forestry (VNFOREST) Pham Van Dien. 

During a conference in Hanoi on January 2 to review 2019 performance and launch 2020 tasks, Dien said the sector targets forest coverage of 42 percent and a 5-5.5 percent growth in forestry production value. 

On forest protection and firefighting, it will ensure that violations of forest protection laws and the area of damaged forests will be reduced by 10 percent and 30 percent, respectively. 

To such end, the VNFOREST will intensify the implementation of programmes approved by the government, especially the Prime Minister’s Directive No.08/CT-TTg on measures and tasks for the rapid and sustainable development of wood and forest products processing. 

It will also realise the Voluntary Partnership Agreement on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade between Vietnam and the European Union, and improve the capacity of parties concerned in the process. 

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Ha Cong Tuan asked the VNFOREST to promptly complete the national forestry development master plan, and submit to the government the national forestry development strategy for the 2021 – 2030 period with a vision to 2045, the public investment programme on sustainable forestry development for the 2021 – 2025 period. 

He suggested issuing criteria for sustainable forest management and restructuring of the sector. 

Last year, forestry export value hit 11.2 billion USD, or 107 percent of the plan, up 19.2 percent annually, with a trade surplus of 8.65 billion USD. Vietnam was fifth globally, second in Asia, and first in Southeast Asia in terms of forest product export. 

Forest coverage reached 41.85 percent, up 0.2 percent from 2018. The whole nation planted over 239,000ha of forests, up 12.6 percent of the plan.

Source: VNA