Visitors at the Bình Dương International Woodworking Machinery Exhibition that opened in the southern province on Thursday. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Chí Tưởng

A wide range of wood products and cutting-edge technologies in the wood industry are being showcased at the Bình Dương International Woodworking Machinery Exhibition that opened in the southern province on Thursday.

The four-day event, jointly held by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Bình Dương Furniture Association (BIFA), attracts the participation of 150 domestic and foreign enterprises. Those from Canada, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the US and Việt Nam have brought the expo state-of-the-art equipment that meets green growth requirements and helps improve production capacity.

According to Director of the MoIT’s Trade Promotion Agency Vũ Bá Phú, Việt Nam saw strong growth in the wood and forestry sector during January-July, with export revenue rising over 23 per cent year-on-year to top US$8.7 billion.

However, challenges are on the horizon for the sector to realise its export target of $15.2 billion for the whole year, he said, adding large markets are increasing trade barriers and asking for exporters' compliance with sustainable forest management and carbon emissions reduction. Besides, businesses only get short-term orders with more stringent requirements on product design and quality.

BIFA Chairman Nguyễn Liêm said that the expo is a valuable opportunity for enterprises to meet, exchange ideas, and develop long-term cooperation, adding it’s time for local wood processing firms to transform technology and go digitalised to enhance their competitive edge.

As the capital of Việt Nam’s wood processing for export, Bình Dương accounts for 35-45 per cent of the sector’s total export revenue. During the seven months, the province shipped more than $3.5 billion worth of wood products overseas, up 22.8 per cent year-on-year, statistics show. — VNS