HCM City (VNA) - Vietnam's wood processing andfurniture industry has made big strides over the past decade, heard a workshopin Ho Chi Minh City on March 25.

Do Thi Thu Huong, from the Private Economic DevelopmentResearch Board, said Vietnam has become the 7th biggest wood and wooden furnitureproducer and the 2nd largest exporter in the world.

Wood and wooden furniture are also among the 10 groups of products with the highest exportvalues, and the industry has generated jobs for about 500,000 labourers, she added.

Huong and other participants at the workshop, however,pointed out difficulties facing the wood processing sector like material shortages asVietnam has to import about 8.5 million m3 of wood each year, along withlimitations in processing technologies and productivity.

Nguyen Van Dien, head of the forestry production managementdepartment at the Vietnam Administration of Forestry, said some 45 percent of the labourers in the sector have yet to receive training.

He stressed other problems like material quality and competitionpressure and risks of trade fraud facing domestic firms.

Given this, Dien suggested implementing measuressynchronously to consolidate relevant institutions and policies, step up the application of technologies, and set out strategies for personnel training.

Experts shared the view that there is ample space forVietnam’s wood processing and furniture industry to grow further, and emphasisedthe need to invest in brand building and product promotion./.