Vietnam’s "Business and Industry News" reported on September 8 that the General Administration of Forestry of Vietnam stated that in the first eight months of this year, Vietnam’s exports of timber and forest products reached 11.2 billion U.S. dollars, an increase of 42.7% year-on-year, of which exports of timber and wood products were 10.4 billion U.S. dollars, an increase. 41.9%, non-timber forest products export 790 million US dollars, an increase of 54.2%. On the other hand, imports of timber and forest products amounted to US$2.1 billion, a year-on-year increase of 34.1%. As a result, the timber and forest products trade surplus in the first eight months of this year was US$9.1 billion.
In the first eight months of this year, Vietnam’s timber and forest products have been exported to more than 130 countries and regions, of which the United States, Japan, China, the European Union, and South Korea are still the main export markets, accounting for more than 90% of Vietnam’s total exports.
Among them, exports to the U.S. market exceeded US$6.7 billion, a year-on-year increase of 59.8%; exports to the Japanese market were US$953.1 million, a year-on-year increase of 11.4%; exports to the Chinese market were US$1.008 billion, a year-on-year increase of 21.6%; exports to the EU market were US$782 million, A year-on-year increase of 32.8%; exports to the Korean market were 605.2 million US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 11.5%.
Pei Zhengyi, deputy director of the State Forestry Administration, said that despite the positive results in the export of timber and forest products in the first eight months of this year, the current complex development of the new crown epidemic has severely affected the production and processing activities of timber companies, especially in wood processing companies. Concentrated southern regions (timber companies account for more than 70%, and exports account for 80% of Vietnam's total exports).
The Timber Association, timber industry, and business representatives all stated that maintaining production in accordance with the "3 on-site" and "2 points and one line" methods will increase the cost of the company by about 20-30%. The proportion of workers in the timber industry being vaccinated is very low, especially in places with severe epidemics such as Dong Nai, Binh Duong, and Binh Dinh. As of the end of August, only about 15-20% of workers were vaccinated.
