Deputy PM Vuong Dinh Hue and other distinguished guests at the groundbreaking ceremony. — Photo VCP

Construction of a wood processing factory, valued at more than VND1.44 trillion (US$64 million), kicked off in the central province of Ha Tinh on Saturday.

The ground-breaking ceremony was witnessed by Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue. Financed by the Thanh Thanh Dat JSC, the factory will cover a 18ha-site in the Vu Quang Industrial Complex. It is designed to produce 120,000cu.m of medium-density fibreboard and 2,400cu.m of wood slats once operational in the fourth quarter of 2019.

The facility aims to fully tap the local forest potential in line with the province’s planning for forest development for wood processing from 2013 to 2020, and a vision through 2030.

In his speech at the groundbreaking ceremony, provincial People’s Committee chairman Dang Quoc Khanh urged relevant sectors to accelerate land clearance to better facilitate the project’s implementation.

The chairman, meanwhile, asked the investor to ensure progress of the project and prioritise recruiting local labourers when it becomes operational.

Statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development revealed that from January to November, exports of major forestry products saw a modest rise of 1 per cent to $6.5 billion compared with same period last year. — VNS