Forestry product exports pick up 18 percent in Q1 hinh anh 1The export value of forestry products edged up 18 percent year on year to 2.4 billion USD in the first three months of 2019. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – The export value of forestry products edged up 18 percent year on year to 2.4 billion USD in the first three months of 2019, the Vietnam Administration of Forestry announced on April 1.

This is the strongest growth in the “billion dollar” goods basket, including footwear, computer and spare parts, garment and textile, telephones and spare parts, steel, seafood and machines.

The US, Japan, the EU, China and the Republic of Korea remained the five largest importers of Vietnamese forest products, accounting for some 87 percent of the industry’s total export value.

Last year, the country raked in some 9.3 billion USD from shipping forestry products to foreign nations.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc recently issued Directive No.08/CT-TTg, outlining measures to increase forestry shipments to 11 billion USD in 2019, 12-13 billion USD in 2020, and 18-20 billion USD in 2025.

Vietnam has 4,500 enterprises processing and exporting wood and forestry products, including 1,863 exporters. They include more than 700 foreign-invested businesses with a large production scale and application of advanced technology for production.-VNA
VNA