Website Launched to Promote Trade of Wood, Forest Products

Vietnam’s Wood and Forest Product Association will officially launch a website at http://www.vietforest.org in early October to carry out the national trade promotion programme for wood and forest products.

The website will provide information relating to production, trade and processing of wood and forest products, market information including prices of input materials and products as well as the investment policies applied for local and foreign investors in the sector. So far 173 businesses specialising in processing, importing and exporting wood and forest products and forest planting have become members of the association. The biggest challenge currently facing Vietnam’s wood processing industry is that local enterprises must indirectly export via mediators, cutting into their corporate profits and causing a lack of initiative in production.

According to the Processing Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam is estimated to export nearly US$700 million worth of wood products in the first nine months of this year, up 85 per cent on-year. Hardwood tables and chairs and other softwood furniture were key exports and were exported to 120 countries and territories worldwide including major markets of the US, Japan, EU countries and Taiwan, which are said to have soaring demand.

• Thi Van