Hanoi (VNA) – With 6.9 billion USD in revenue from wood and wood-based product exports in 2015, Vietnam has become the fourth biggest wood exporter in the world, following China, German and Italy, according to the Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of Ho Chi Minh City (HAWA).
Of its total exports, the country earned 4.3 billion USD shipping wood-based products to foreign countries, up 7.8 percent from 2014. The US, China, Japan and the EU remained Vietnam’s largest wood consumption markets.
Exports of wood and wood-based products are expected to grow at a pace of 8 to 10 percent and stand at 7.2 to 7.3 billion USD in values in 2016.
Meanwhile, Vietnamese wood products have secured a foothold in the domestic market. Demand for wood commodities is expected to surge in 2016 thanks to upbeat signs from the real estate market, especially the apartment segment in previous year.
Currently, the producers are paying attention to adding more value to their products by increasing the use of technology in processing, and enhancing management and sale capacity.-VNA