Wood furniture on display at an exhibition (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Forestry posted the highest tradesurplus, at 3.23 billion USD, amongst agricultural sectors in the first half of2018, according to the Vietnam Administration of Forestry (VNForest).
VNForest also reported that more than 4.33billion USD worth of forestry products were shipped abroad between January andJune, up 12.7 percent year-on-year.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment Ha Cong Tuan said the forestry sector has sustained the growthachievements set in previous years, adding that VNForest looks likely to maintainthis trend to obtain this year’s targets.
The country has set targets of 9 billion USD inforestry exports this year, an increase of 6-6.5 percent in forestry productionvalue, and the forest coverage rate of 41.65 percent in 2018.
Tuan said the wood and forestry processing industryis developing strongly. Vietnamese wood products have been exported to over 100countries and territories with major markets being the US, Europe, Japan, theRepublic of Korea, and China.
He noted how the forestry sector has played anactive role in negotiating with other countries, especially on timber origin,to remove obstacles from the trading of wood and wood products with suchmarkets as Laos, Cambodia, the EU, China, the Republic of Korea, and Australia.
It has also actively updated businesses aboutlegal changes regarding legal timber exploitation and trading, as well as woodand forestry markets around the globe, the official said.
He added from now to the end of 2018, VNForestwill continue to promote the official signing of the EU-Vietnam VoluntaryPartnership Agreement on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance, and Trade.
It will also be more active in cooperationactivities with foreign partners and fulfil all obligations as a member countryof both the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of WildFauna and Flora and the ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network. -VNA
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