Ha Giang creates great value from planted forests.

Ha Giang is a mountainous province with 570,000 hectares of forest land, of which more than 81,000 hectares are planted forests, and the rest are natural forests. With its large planted forest resources, the locality has implemented many mechanisms and policies to promote the development of the wood processing industry and forest products.

Over the years, Ha Giang province has focused on attracting investors to build timber processing facilities to enhance the economic value of its planted forests. The province has implemented numerous mechanisms and policies to create favorable conditions for timber processing investors, specifically by approving land leases in industrial zones and providing land lease subsidies; and subsidizing transportation costs. Furthermore, the province is committed to expanding the area of ​​planted forests certified under the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) sustainable forest management system, creating favorable conditions for timber processing businesses exporting their products. To date, Ha Giang maintains nearly 5,000 hectares of FSC-certified forests.

With the province's support, many businesses and individuals have invested in 200 timber processing facilities, concentrated in Bac Quang, Vi Xuyen, and Quang Binh districts. These facilities mainly produce plywood, wood pellets, sawn timber, wood chips, paper, and household furniture. Many businesses have invested in building modern, integrated, and high-capacity timber processing plants, attracting and creating jobs for many local workers.

A notable example is the Vi Xuyen Industrial Wood Processing Plant, built on an area of ​​over 10 hectares in the Binh Vang Industrial Park. Equipped with modern machinery, it has a processing capacity of over 30,000 cubic meters of products per year, primarily plywood for domestic consumption and export. “We chose Ha Giang to build the factory because it has a large area of ​​planted forests, ensuring a sufficient supply of raw materials. In addition, the local government provided support for land lease fees and transportation costs in the initial years. Currently, the factory purchases approximately 20,000 cubic meters of wood from local people annually; producing about 10,000 cubic meters of products for domestic consumption and export to South Korea and Australia, with a value exceeding 100 billion VND,” said Mr. Nguyen Thanh Xuan, Director of the Vi Xuyen Industrial Wood Processing Plant.

The focus on attracting businesses and individuals to invest in forest product processing has created significant value from the forest. In 2024, the value of forestry in Ha Giang province reached 1,666 billion VND, of which processed wood products for export accounted for over 474 billion VND. The main export products are plywood, veneer, and wood pellets, primarily exported to European, American, Chinese, and South Korean countries.

Mr. Dao Duy Tuan, Head of the Forest Protection Department of Ha Giang province, said: “The area of ​​planted forests in Ha Giang province has improved in both productivity and quality, so the value of forest products is very high. People and businesses benefiting from the forest have raised their awareness in developing sustainable forestry.”

The promotion of forest product processing also opens up job opportunities and increases income for the people. Nearly 200 forest product processing facilities have created jobs and stable income for thousands of local workers. People also increase their income from forest planting. Mr. Hoang Xuan Luc, from Trung Tam village, Bang Lang commune, has over 20 hectares of large-scale forest planted with trees such as Gáo, acacia, cinnamon, pine, and bodhi. His family's large timber forest is nearing harvest. Mr. Hoang Xuan Luc said: “With over 20 hectares of planted forest, the harvest will bring my family billions of dong in income. Planting large timber trees requires little care, thus increasing income for forest planters after deducting expenses. With a stable market and guaranteed output, after harvesting, my family will continue to buy forestry seedlings to plant. Only forests can bring significant income to farmers in mountainous areas.”

Despite the achievements, the timber processing industry still faces many difficulties, especially the lack of a comprehensively developed transportation network; weak linkages between forest growers and processing facilities; limited product diversification; and the absence of a zoning plan for raw material sources for large-scale timber processing facilities, leading to shortages for many factories. Meanwhile, the area of ​​planted forests remains fragmented and small-scale, lacking concentrated planting zones, making infrastructure investment challenging.

In the coming period, Ha Giang province needs to continue attracting businesses to invest in forest product processing to enhance the economic value of forests. Localities should develop planted forests in conjunction with the application of scientific and technological advancements to improve productivity and output. Along with this, training professional and skilled human resources for the forest product processing industry is crucial, as is planning concentrated forest planting areas linked to investment in synchronized infrastructure and expanding the area of ​​FSC-certified forests...

Representatives from wood processing businesses shared: Ha Giang province needs to remove obstacles for large-scale wood processing enterprises. It is necessary to plan raw material areas and act as a central point for businesses to sign contracts with local people for forest planting to ensure a stable supply of raw materials. When the raw material supply is stable, investors will have the determination to expand production scale and diversify products.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/ha-giang-tao-gia-value-large-from-forest-post876938.html