(HBO) - The Hoa Binh provincial Party Committee and People's Committee have been directing sectors and localities to build policies to support forest-based economic development towards improving productivity and efficiency, and changing forestry production practices from extensive to intensive cultivation.
The locality aims to expand the area of large timber plantation area serving
the for-export processing industry, and speed up the restructuring of the forestry
sector.
Du Phuong village in Hoa Binh city's Mong Hoa commune has over 400
hectares of production forest whichbrings high economic value for local
residents.
Forest economy proves effective
According to a review of the province's planning for three types of forests in
2018, the total area of land designated for forest in Hoa Binh is 298,013 ha,
of which, 149,429 ha are earmarked for production forest, including 69,321.88
ha of planted forest and 51,976.04 ha of bare land.
Hoa Binh boasts great potential for developing the forestry economy thanks to
its strengths of geographical position and abundant labourers.
Deputy Director of the provincial Forest Protection Department Nguyen Xuan
Truong said production forestation is considered one of economic development
strategies of many localities in Hoa Binh, especially in the districts of Lac
Thuy, Kim Boi, Tan Lac, and Lac Son.
In recent years, the locality overfulfilled many targets on forestation, forest
management and protection. Every year, 6,000 - 8,000 hectares of production
forest were planted.
A system of tree nurseries has been built and improved to better meet the need
of forestry economic development towards improving quality, efficiency and
value of the forestry sector, while forest owners have been provided with
forest planting techniques through training courses.
Enterprises have paid attention to improving the value of their forest
products, and initially converting planted forests to commercialforests.
Currently, the forest coverage rate in the province stands at 51.5 percent.
In 2020, the total income from forests and forestry land of organisations and
households reached an estimated 668 billion VND (nearly 29 million USD), up 234
billion VND compared to the previous year.
The province is now home to dozens of establishments specialising in producing
and processing wood products. A number of enterprises have built medium-density
fibre board (MDF) processing and manufacturing factories, such as Vinafor MDF -
Tan An, MDF Phu Thanh, and BWG Mai Chau.
These are the foundation for the locality to build planning of material areas,
and connect planting, exploitation and processing of forest products with
consumption and development of production forest.
Supporting investment in intensive forestation
According to the agricultural sector, the productivity, quality and economic
value of planted forests in Hoa Binh remain lower than the national average
rate.
In particular, the area of forest granted
sustainableforestmanagement certificate by the Forest Stewardship
Council (FSC) accounted for only 17 percent of the total area.
The locality has faced difficulties in organizing production and investment in
intensive farming, and in drawing businesses to participate in the chain of production,
planting and processing.
To overcome the above mentioned shortcomings, the standing board of the
provincial Party Committee has issued a resolution on sustainable forest
development in Hoa Binh to 2025, with a vision to 2030.
The resolution set targets of increasing the annual forest coverage rate to
over 50 percent, the productivity of planted forest by 1.3 times, and the value
per hectare of planted forest by 2.5 times; transforming 3,000 ha of areas of
small timber plantation to large timber forests; and having 50 percent of
forest areas granted FSC certificates.
Over 90 percent of production forest area in Hoa Binh will be large timber
plantation area and commercial forests by 2030, while over 80 percent of the
area of production forest will be certified by FSC.
Forestry is expected to account for 20 percent of the proportion of
agriculture, forestry and fishery sector.
Recently, the Provincial People's Committee has issued a project on sustainable
development of production forests for the period to 2025, with a vision to
2030.
Accordingly, the locality will take measures to raise public awareness of the
importance of forestation and improve the effectiveness of forest management,
while implementing policies to support the development of intensive forestation
and large wood forests, and improving the capacity for forest farmers.
It also focuses on developing multi-function forestry, changing product
structure from exploiting young wood and producing wood chips to exploiting
large timber in order to create concentrated material areas to meet the demand
of the wood processing industry, thus improving economic efficiency of planted
forests towards contributing to the locality’s economic growth and protecting
the environment.
Truong said the provincial Party Committee and People's Committee have clearly
defined the importance of sustainable forest economic development, noting that
the resolution of the provincial Party Committee and the project on sustainable
forestry development of the provincial People's Committee are in line with the
forestry sector’s development trend, and the country’s green and sustainable
development orientation.
When a large material area with good quality is formed, it will help attract
more businesses to join a chain of industrial and natural wood products
production and processing with high added value, thus boosting exports to the
US, Japan and European markets, he said./.
By Le Chung
Dao Village’s honey – a product certified with a 3-star OCOP (One Commune One Product) rating by Thong Nhat Agricultural Cooperative in Dao Village (Hoa Binh City) – is highly regarded by consumers for its quality, richness, and variety in packaging. The distinctively sweet taste of Dao Village’s honey leaves a lasting impression on anyone who has tried it.
In alignment with Project No. 07-DA/TU, issued by the Hoa Binh provincial Party Committee on November 1, 2021, Lac Thuy district has actively promoted investment and supported the sustainable development of its industrial and handicraft sectors during the 2021–2025 period. Alongside this, the district has remained committed to preserving and revitalising traditional craft villages.
Located in the northern part of Lac Thuy district, with a temperate climate and fertile soil, Phu Thanh commune has great potential and advantages in growing tea. The long-standing experience, combined with strict adherence to organic farming practices in the tea gardens, ensures that the dried tea products from Phu Thanh and Lac Thuy as a whole are sold out immediately upon production, providing a stable and prosperous life for the local people.
Amid efforts to streamline the administrative apparatus, Hoa Binh province has intensified measures to address challenges in land clearance, resettlement support, and infrastructure investment, aiming to speed up the progress of key projects.
Hoa Binh province has posted an unprecedented economic growth rate of 12.76% in the first quarter of 2025, marking its highest quarterly performance to date and positioning it as the second fastest-growing locality in the country, trailing only Bac Giang province.
Under current regulations, products in the One Commune – One Product (OCOP) programme that are rated three stars or higher must undergo re-evaluation every three months. However, in reality, some of these products fail to consistently meet the required standards, raising concerns about the sustainability of their OCOP certification. This underscores the urgent need for producers to enhance product quality and gradually develop their OCOP products into strong, marketable brands.
