Hanoi (VNA) – As many as 732 domestic businesses have obtained the Forest StewardshipCouncil Chain of Custody (FSC/CoC) Certification, taking the lead in SoutheastAsia.
Of the number,49 firms gained the certification of sustainable forest management with a totalarea of 226,500ha, according to the Vietnam Administration of Forestry (VNFOREST) underthe Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The cooperationbetween wooden processing firms and forest growers has helped to ensurematerials and output, thus stabilising prices of wooden products.
Amid theincreasing demand for wood with legal and clear origins, exporters have workedto complete production management system and enhance cooperation with farmersto access to materials meeting international standards, said VNFOREST.
The export valueof forestry products is projected to hit 5.85 billion USD between January andAugust this year, increasing 13 percent on year and accounting for 23 percentof Vietnam’s total agro-forestry-fishery export.
According toestimations of VNFOREST, during the eight-month period, the trade surplus offorestry products will amount to 4.39 billion USD, of which 4.09 billion USDare contributed by the shipment of timber and wood products.
VNFORESTforecast forestry export to rise in the remaining months of the year,particularly to traditional markets like the US, China, the Republic of Korea,Japan, and the EU.-VNA