Hanoi (VNA) - The export value of timber and wood products hit 7.95 billion USD in the first half of 2024, up 21.2% year-on-year, and representing 52.3% of the plan set for the year, the Forestry Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has reported.
That resulted in a trade surplus of 6.67 billion USD, 21.6% higher than that of the same period last year, statistics show.
The US and China were the main importers, respectively purchasing 4.38 billion USD and nearly 1.06 billion USD worth of forestry products from Vietnam in the period, up 27.6% and 46.6% compared to the same period in 2023.
Concentrated forest exploitation nationwide was estimated at 9.93 million cu.m, 6.3% higher than that of the same period last year.
Localities planted 125,500 ha of concentrated forests, equivalent to 51.2% of the plan, up 1.2% year-on-year. The total area of planted forests is estimated to reach 245,000 ha in the whole year.
Many localities are focusing on managing seedling quality to improve that of planted forests. The rate of planted forest areas with controlled seedling quality has reached 85%.
Localities are also implementing initiatives to switch small-scale forests into large-scale ones, promoting sustainable forest management, and obtaining forest certification. Currently, the country has 495,000 ha of forests granted certification of sustainable management./.
