The Vietnam Rubber Association (VRA) recently kicked off a project promoting the sector’s compliance with the Vietnam Timber Legal Assurance System (VNTLAS).

Chairman of the Vietnam Rubber Association Tran Ngoc Thuan addresses
the project launch on November 11.

Supported by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the Vietnam Administration of Forestry, the project aims to help farmers and businesses improve their capacity and meet VNTLAS’s requirements for small-scale supply chains.

In order to fulfil commitments in the Vietnam-EU Voluntary Partnership Agreement on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (VPA/FLEGT), which was signed in 2018 and took effect on June 1, 2019, the Prime Minister issued Decree No 102/2020/ND-CP on VNTLAS.

VNTLAS is a national system to ensure compliance with timber legislation at each stage of the supply chain, including harvesting, importing, purchasing, selling, transporting, processing, and exporting.

Speaking at the launch, VRA Chairman Tran Ngoc Thuan said rubber timber contributes significantly to Vietnam’s wood supply and is considered a sustainable material, making it stand out as the market demands that woodwork products for domestic consumption and export be traceable and legally assured.

In 2019, Vietnam was home to 943,000 ha of rubber forests, with rubber timber and woodwork products exported to more than 100 countries and territories.

Tran Hong Van, project coordinator, said it is running from July 2020 to July 2021, piloted in the southern provinces of Binh Duong and Tay Ninh, and aims to boost the trade of legal wood products and sustainable forest management.

She added that the project will provide an overview of the country’s rubber wood industry, identify challenges in following the VNTLAS, and compile guiding materials for farmers and businesses involved, among other things.