Hanoi (VNA) - Theexport turnover of Vietnamese timber and timber products is estimated to hit 8billion USD this year, 10 percent higher than the target, the Ministry of Agricultureand Rural Development reported at a meeting on sustainable forestry developmentheld in Hanoi on November 28.

The forestry sector recorded many other encouraging achievementsthis year, said Nguyen Quoc Tri, deputy director of the ministry’s VietnamForestry Administration.

He cited the growth of nearly 200,000ha of forest, equivalentto100 percent of the yearly target, rapid reduction in the number of violationsof forestry-related regulations and increasing investment of businesses andpeople in forestry sector.

Authorised agencies detected more than 14,500 violations sinceearly this year, a year-on-year decrease of 70 percent. This left 1,400ha offorest damaged, a year-on-year decrease of 20 percent.

The payment forforest environmental services has become an important source of finance to helpimprove the efficiency of forest protection, management and development. Thecountry has collected 1.6 trillion VND (71 million USD) for forestenvironmental services this year.

Addressing the event, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment Ha Cong Tuan said that the forestry sector had gained basicachievements over the past years.

The rate of forest coverage increased from 28 percent in 1992 tomore than 41 percent in 2016.  The production rate of the forestry sectorreached 7.1 percent from 5.9 percent in 2013. The amount of timber from plantedforests is meeting 80 percent of demand.

However, Tuan noted that the forestry sector still faced manychallenges, particularly the damage of natural forest and low growth offorestry value and ineffective management of some forestry businesses.

More effective measures were needed to help further develop thesector, he said.

Former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Huy Ngosaid the production and processing of forest-based products still receivedlittle attention. He said it was necessary to develop a value chain from timberto management organisation, product processing and the market to increasecompetitiveness.

It was also necessary to pay attention to investing in bothtechnique and human resources as well as encouraging and praising good examplesof households and businesses in the sector, he said.

Participants at the event also spoke of the need for moreeffective measures to prevent deforestation and tackle shortcomings in thelegal system and management tasks.-VNA