Forestry sector eyes growth target of 6.5 percent in H2

Striving for a 6.5 percent growth is a key task of the forestry sector in the second half of this year, said Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Ha Cong Tuan at a conference held in Hanoi on June 30.

Tuan set out a number of measures to achieve the target, including comprehensive shake-up and maintaining export revenue, which are significant to stabilise cross-sector linkages in forest protection and development, he said.

He highlighted that restructuring must be done in 132 forestry companies to ensure efficient operation. The move also helps tackle overlapping forest areas illegally occupied by settlers.

Wooden chairs for export

In addition to handing over forest land to businesses to branch out forestry, providing production land for the needy is another measure.

Regarding forest destruction in some key regions like the Central Highlands and northwestern provinces, Tuan said that the forest ranger force needs to join hands with relevant agencies to handle any violations.

Besides, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development must review forestry mechanisms and policies, especially those for the Central Highlands, to ensure they are practical and feasible.

Attention should be paid to attracting investments from local enterprises to assure sufficient capital to address the free emigrant issue – a key factor of deforestation.

According to Nguyen Ba Ngai, General Director of the Vietnam Administration of Forestry, total forestry export revenue stood at over 3.3 billion USD in the first six months of the year, 507.7 million USD of which came from wood and wood-based product shipments.

Vietnam has about 3.5 million hectares of commercial forest with 127,747 hectares for timber. Total commercial forest exploitation was estimated at 8.3 million cubic metres in the six-month period.

By June 20, the country planted 23,622 hectares of forest, 11,338 hectares of which were contributed by hydroelectricity projects.