Sweden sees VN as potential market for its eco-friendly wood materials
Sweden’s wood materials industry sees Vietnam’s wood processing industry as a potential market for its eco-friendly, competitive and sustainable materials, speakers at a seminar said.
HCM City(VNA) - Sweden’s wood materials industry sees Vietnam’swood processing industry as a potential market for its eco-friendly, competitiveand sustainable materials, speakers at a seminar said.
“Sweden will be apotential source of additional materials for Vietnam, with the import valuecurrently increasing,” said Huynh Van Hanh, vice chairman of the HCM CityHandicraft and Wood Industry Association (HAWA).
Hanh spoke at a seminarheld in the city’s District 7 this week as part of the 12th VietnamInternational Woodworking Industry Fair at the Saigon Exhibition and ConventionCentre (SECC) from October 18-21.
About 50 Swedish sawmillssuppliers, Vietnamese wood producers and many others attended the seminar.
Pereric Hogberg,Sweden’s Ambassador to Vietnam, said that Sweden’s sustainable forestmanagement maintained a balance between economic wood production and respectfor wildlife, outdoor recreation, employment and local interests.
“I am very impressed by Vietnam’sfast-growing wood processing industry, and there is a large potential forSwedish wood suppliers to supply high quality and sustainable raw materials toVietnamese manufacturers,” she said.
Sweden, the world’sthird largest exporter of sawn wood, exports 13 million of total 18 millioncubic metres of sawn and planed timber.
Japan and China are thebiggest markets for the Swedish sawmill industry.
Vietnam is the fifth largestexporter of wood worldwide, the second largest in Asia, and the largest inSoutheast Asia. Its key export markets are the US, China, Japan and the EU.
Vietnam’s furnitureindustry is growing steadily, resulting in increased demand for materials, accordingto Hanh.
Vietnam’s exports wereestimated at 7 billion USD last year and are expected to increase to 10 billionUSD by 2020. Last year, about 1.7 billion USD of wood materials were importedfor production needs.-VNA
The wood processing sector will have more room for development as Vietnam participates in more free trade agreements, according to the Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of HCM City (HAWA).
The various components of the woodworking industry’s supply chain need to establish close links to ensure the industry’s sustainable development, an expert has said.
Vietnam’s exports of wood and wooden products in the first quarter of this year hit 1.78 billion USD, a year-on-year increase of 17.1 percent, the General Department of Vietnam Customs reported.
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At a wood furniture factory (Photo: VNA) 
