The export value of forestry products is projected to hit US$5.858 billion between January and August this year, increasing 13 per cent year on year and accounting for 23 per cent of Viet Nam’s total agro-forestry-fishery exports.

According to estimations of the Vietnam Administration of Forestry (VNFOREST) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, during the eight-month period, the trade surplus of forestry products will amount to $4.392 billion, of which $4.096 billion are contributed by the shipment of timber and wood products.

VNFOREST forecast forestry exports will rise in the remaining months of the year, particularly to traditional markets like the US, China, the Republic of Korea, Japan and the EU.

Production forests are among the major sources of materials for export. The entire nation has to date planted 130,858 hectares of production forests. Most of the provinces in the northern mountainous region have completed their afforestation plan for 2018, and some, like Thai Nguyen and Bac Giang, even surpassed their targets.

About 12.3 million cubic metres of wood were exploited from planted forests in the first eight month of 2018, meeting 66.5 per cent of the yearly plan and up 4.8 per cent against the same period last year. — VNS