The nation has set a target of 4.6 billion USD in wood exports for this year. Exporters are urged to seek new markets in order to achieve this target.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the total value of Vietnam’s wood exports hit 2.3 billion USD in the first half of 2012, up almost 26 percent over the same period last year.

The European Union and the US are now the main importers of Vietnam’s wood. However, Vietnamese exporters expect to face many difficulties in these markets in the time to come, as they have adopted new stricter regulations on origin of imported wood and wood products.

Therefore, experts say the industry should look for chances in potential markets in the Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa and South America , which have high demands for the products.

Over the past six months, the export value of Vietnamese wood products to China has surged by more than 35 percent, to the US by over 32 percent and Japan 25.5 percent, compared to the same period last year.-VNA