The first Vietnam forest product festival is scheduled to take place in Binh Dinh on March, 26, 2011. This is an important event, promoting the sustainable development and integration of the country’s forestry sector. Provincial Chairman Le Huu Loc, who is also the head of the festival’s organizing board, talks more about the preparations for the event.
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Wooden furniture for export. Photo H.V
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What gave the authorities the idea of organizing the forest product festival?
The wood processing industry has more and more developed in the past few years, becoming one of Vietnam’s spearhead sector. According to statistics, Vietnam earned 310 million USD from export of timber and wooden products in November last year, an increase of 29.56 percent over the same period of 2009, bringing the total export turnover in the first 11 months of 2010 to over 3 billion USD.
Binh Dinh province is one of the country’s four largest timber producers with about 150 timber and forest product firms and annual production of 150,000 cu.m. of processed wood and 300 tonnes of wood chip. The province earns about 250 million USD from export of wood products, accounting for 60 percent the province’s total export.
The local authorities, thus, decided to coordinate with other relevant bodies to host the first forest product festival.
The festival is expected to honor the forestry sector and those who have contributed to the Vietnam’s forestry sector. Also, it will be an opportunity for domestic and foreign forest product manufacturers to cooperate with each other and become a festival of national magnitude which will be periodically held.
Could you brief us on the programs of the event?
The festival is scheduled to take place along the Nguyen Tat Thanh Avenue from March 26-28. Over 400 domestic and international organizations with 700 pavilions are expected to join the event whose theme is “Vietnam’s forest products – sustainable development and integration”.
The festival includes an exhibition on wooden and forest products and ornamented fauna and flora with the participation of 200 local and foreign units.
Besides, seminars to promote trade in this field as well as cultural and culinary festivals will also be held.
The main goal of the festival is to popularize different seeds and afforestation technology, related services and facilities as well as the operation of businesses in fields of forest products and wood processing. It will offer chances for cooperation among domestic and foreign businesses.
How about the preparations for the festival?
The organizing board and other bodies have made all-out efforts to implement tasks. We also finished proposing the plan to mobilize the businesses to sponsor the festival and related issues.
Some big companies, such as Vietcombank, BIDV, EVN, VNPT, and Vietnam Airlines, agreed to sponsor the event. VNPT, for example, will help build a modern press center while EVN will supply enough power during the festival. Vietnam Airlines will also increase flights to Binh Dinh.
According to preliminary statistics, about 125 businesses from 12 cities and provinces registered to showcase their products at 350 pavilions.
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