The value includes about 15.85billion USD worth of timber and wood products, rising 7%, and 1.1 billion USDworth of non-timber products, falling 1.3%.
Meanwhile, timber and wood productimports increased 4.1% to 2.82 billion USD.
That resulted in a trade surplus of14.1 billion USD, up 6.5% from last year, statistics show.
Despite market fluctuations due toimpacts of the Russia - Ukraine conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic, forestry exportshave still been on the rise thanks to the Government’s directions, ministriesand sectors’ moves, and businesses’ efforts to surmount difficulties, DeputyGeneral Director Bui Chinh Nghia told the administration’s conference in Hanoion December 30.
The US, Japan, China, the EU, and theRepublic of Korea were the main markets, purchasing 15.48 billion USD worth offorestry products from Vietnam, equivalent to over 90% of the total.
For 2023, the sector targets 17.5billion USD worth of forestry exports, a growth rate of 5 - 5.5% in forestryproduction value, and forest coverage maintained at 42%, Nghia noted./.