Vietnam is taking steps to ensure all input materials used in its timber value chains are legal and meet sustainable development requirements, with a view to become one of the world’s leading centers for processing wood for exports, a Vietnamese official has said.

Pham Van Dien, deputy director general of the Vietnam Administration of Forestry (VAF) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, was speaking at the Forum on Sustainable and Legal Timber Value Chain in Vietnam, which took place in southern Binh Duong Province on Friday. 

The event, with an attendance of 150 delegates, was organized by the VAF, a multi-party core group within the framework of the EU - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ).

Vietnam is exporting timber to many markets such as the U.S., the EU and Japan, among others, all require the legality of exported items, so Vietnam aims to meet two criteria on legality and sustainability for its wooden exports, Dien said.

The official emphasized that Vietnam is endeavoring to become one of the world’s leading centers for processing wood for exports, with an export turnover expected to amount to US$25 billion by 2030.

“To achieve this goal, we need to build and operate a system to ensure that Vietnam's timber is legal in accordance with international commitments and agreements, thereby ensuring that 100 percent of input materials used in all the country’s timber value chains are legal,” Dien said.

It is essential to strengthen forest management to help boost timber origin tracing and promote sustainable timber trade, the Vietnam News Agency cited Oemar Idoe, Group Coordinator of GIZ’s projects on environment, climate change and agriculture in Vietnam, as saying.

Rui Ludovino, First Counselor of the EU Delegation to Vietnam (EUD) and in charge of matters on climate action, environment, employment and social policy, emphasized the need to ensure the legality and sustainability of timber and timber products.

The EU-Vietnam Voluntary Partnership Agreement on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (VPA/FLEGT) signed in 2018, which aims to address illegal logging, improve forest governance and promote trade in legal timber products, Ludovino said. 

Under the agreement, wood exploitation must not cause deforestation, forest degradation, or loss of biodiversity or natural resources, the counselor said, calling for the implementation of the agreement as soon as possible to benefit businesses of both sides. 

Diep Bao Tri, financial director of Minh Duong Furniture Corporation in Binh Duong, said that in order to expand the market, his company will continue complying with both Vietnamese and international requirements in ensuring legal and sustainable timber supply chains.

According to the results of the enterprise assessment and classification under the VPA/FLEGT, the company has been classified into the Group 1 that include those fully comply with the criteria of the Vietnam’s Timber Legality Assurance System (VNTLAS), Tri stated.

After a timber exporter with such classification gets a FLEGT license, expected by the end of 2023, it will have its exports cleared immediately upon arrival at the destination port without having to additionally report about timber legality, the director said.  

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