Forestry exports will be no lower than US$12 billion this year, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Ha Cong Tuan told a meeting in Hanoi on July 10.

Forestry contributed most to the agriculture and rural development sector in the first half, he said, with export value rising 2.7 % to US$5.3 billion.

He asked the forestry sector to focus on addressing issues such as anti-dumping lawsuits and product origin fraud, and to coordinate with ministries and agencies in handling trade disputes.

Vietnam planted 106,300 ha of concentrated forest in the first half of this year, up 0.2% year-on-year and reaching 48.3% of the annual target, Tuan said, adding that the total area is expected to reach 220,000 ha by the end of the year.

The meeting also heard that there were only 5,801 violations of the Law on Forestry, down 16% since last year, while 109 forest fires burned 260 ha, down 35% and 75%, respectively.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the hot weather have affected forestation in some localities, said Nguyen Huu Thien, head of the Forest Protection Agency.

Deputy head of the Vietnam Administration of Forestry Pham Van Dien said the sector will work to reduce the number of forest fires by 10% and the affected area by 20%.

Cutting-edge technologies will be utilised in the early wildfire warning system, he added.