With approximately 20 establishments still in operation, Dien Bien Phu city is one of the localities with the highest number of wood processing and trading establishments in the province. These establishments mainly produce and process veneer, wood chips, make household furniture, saw planks, and construction timber. These activities primarily involve the production of raw products, without the use of harmful chemicals; leftover materials after processing are utilized as wood chips and fuel on-site, thus minimizing the impact on the surrounding environment.
At Dien Bien Import-Export Trading Joint Stock Company, located at Group 3, Thanh Binh Ward, Dien Bien Phu City, the company produces and consumes an average of 60-70 cubic meters of wood annually, providing stable employment for more than 10 workers. The company's main products are wooden furniture such as beds, wardrobes, tables, chairs, and shelves. Therefore, the company always prioritizes the origin of its timber products.
Mr. Nguyen Phu Do, Director of Dien Bien Import-Export Trading Joint Stock Company, said: Currently, the company's wood for processing mainly comes from imported wood (accounting for 70%) and plantation wood (about 30%), all with legal documentation. The company also fully complies with all procedures for production, business registration, environmental protection, and fire prevention and control. During operation, the company regularly receives guidance, reminders, and supervision from forestry officials on production and business activities, as well as direct instruction on record-keeping and dissemination of new regulations related to forest product processing, thus facilitating administrative procedures.
According to statistics from the Forest Protection Department, the province currently has 69 active establishments involved in the production, trading, and processing of forest products (including 4 enterprises, 1 cooperative, and 64 households and individuals). Their main activities involve the small-scale production and trading of fine art wood products and furniture. The wood primarily comes from direct imports through border gates or from wood purchased from businesses in the lowlands that have already imported it into Vietnam (not directly imported from abroad) for processing into finished products.
Mr. Ha Luong Hong, Head of the Provincial Forest Protection Department, said: To manage wood processing and trading establishments, the Provincial Forest Protection Department annually develops inspection and monitoring plans; directing forest protection units to regularly review and gather information on wood processing and trading establishments in their areas for easier monitoring. In addition, the Mobile Forest Protection and Fire Prevention and Control Team also develops plans for surprise inspections when violations are detected or when requested by higher authorities.
Through inspections in 2023, the forest protection force in the province discovered and handled 6 violations related to forest product processing and trading establishments. In addition, these establishments still have some shortcomings, such as unscientific record keeping; some household-based processing facilities do not keep lists of exported forest products. In reality, many families (not registered businesses) and individuals are involved in processing, buying, selling, and storing forest products. However, the law does not require individuals and households to maintain logbooks for the import and export of forest products, causing difficulties in inspection and monitoring. The main reason is that some businesses involved in collecting and processing forest products in the area have not proactively studied the regulations of Circular No. 26/2022/TT-BNNPTNT dated December 30, 2022, issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, which stipulates the management and traceability of forest products. Many establishments have not accurately and completely recorded information on the import and export of timber and non-timber forest products, have not submitted periodic reports on the import and export of forest products to the management agency, and many still use outdated logbook templates.
Regarding the management of timber processing and trading establishments in the coming period, Mr. Ha Luong Hong added: One of the main solutions for managing the operations of timber processing establishments in the area is to focus on inspection and supervision. The aim is to ensure compliance with the law, to take timely corrective and remedial measures, and to create favorable conditions for timber processing and trading establishments to comply with legal regulations. This includes focusing on aspects such as: timber product documentation, business registration certificates, raw material sources; recording in timber import and export logs, and declaration of timber products by establishments…
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