Vietnam earned nearly 5.23 billion USD from forestry exports in the first half of 2019, up almost 20 percent year on year (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – The forestry sector has been demandedto take measures to achieve the exports target of 11 billion USD for this year.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural DevelopmentNguyen Xuan Cuong made the request at a meeting of the Vietnam Administrationof Forestry (VNForest) in Hanoi on July 5.
He asked the sector to perfect institutions soas to implement the Voluntary Partnership Agreement on Forest Law Enforcement,Governance and Trade (VPA/FLEGT) between Vietnam and the European Union (EU),which took effect on June 1, 2019.
Cuong said under this agreement, many parties,including people, society, the state as well as foreign partners, will takepart in managing the export of forestry products.
Each agency and official must improve theirawareness of the agreement to seek benefits for the sector, the official added.
Vietnam earned nearly 5.23 billion USD fromforestry exports in the first half of this year, up almost 20 percent year onyear.
According to Deputy Director General of VNForestPham Van Dien, to achieve the exports target of 11 billion USD, the sector willincrease coordination with other ministries and sectors to prevent trade fraudsby some exporting companies and strictly control the import of timber from high-riskcountries.
It will also enhance cooperation with localitiesto multiply the successful connections between wood processing companies andafforestation households, thus ensuring the legality of domestic timber supply.This will help increase the added value and reduce production costs forVietnamese wood products, he added.
At the meeting, VNForest reported the forestryproduction value grew 4.53 percent in the second quarter of this year, 0.08 percenthigher than that in the same period last year.
It said amidst the declines in both exportvolume and value of some agricultural products, the forestry sector’s stablegrowth has made it a “helping hand” of Vietnam’s agriculture.-VNA
VNA
