Tracing origin has become an urgent issue, an inevitable trend and a mandatory requirement in the export, import and quality management of products and goods. In the forestry sector, in recent times, the authorities have effectively implemented the management and tracing of forest products to prevent fraudulent trading, exploitation, transportation and illegal storage of forest products.
Production activities at Tien Phong Cam Lo Company Limited - Photo: TT
Currently, in the province, there are 56 licensed commercial forest product processing factories, of which 47 are in operation, with an operating capacity of over 1,500,000 tons/year, accounting for 78.2% of the licensed capacity.
In addition, there are 144 licensed commercial establishments processing forest products, mainly producing laminated boards, veneers, saws, furniture, household wooden products, etc. to serve the market demand in the province, creating jobs for thousands of workers. Most of the raw materials purchased by enterprises and production establishments come from planted forests exploited in the province, some are purchased from neighboring provinces such as Quang Binh and Thua Thien Hue.
According to businesses trading and exporting wood products, high-value markets such as Japan, the US, and Europe all have strict requirements on traceability of wood origin, wood from forests with sustainable forest management certificates, environmental protection... To maintain the export market, businesses must demonstrate clear origin of wood materials, achieve FSC certification... If businesses do not meet this condition, they will lose their competitive advantage.
In order to effectively implement the traceability of forest products, in recent times, the forest rangers have stepped up propaganda and dissemination of the conditions and criteria for classifying enterprises to forest product processing and trading establishments. Through annual conferences on propaganda and dissemination of laws, we focus on propagating regulations on traceability of forest products to forest owners, organizations and individuals related to forestry production activities in the area.
After nearly a year of implementing Circular No. 26/2022/TT-BNNPTNT dated December 30, 2022 (Circular 26), effective from February 15, 2023, regulating the management and traceability of forest products and Decree No. 102/2020/NDCP of the Government regulating the Vietnamese legal timber assurance system, the Provincial Forest Protection Department has inspected and traced the origin of 1,055,311 tons of wood of all kinds originating from planted forests; 7,864 m3 of imported natural forest wood.
At the same time, advise the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to develop a process of "Confirming the origin of wood before exporting" according to Decree No. 102/2020/ND-CP to submit to the Provincial People's Committee for promulgation and implementation. The implementation of wood origin tracing and management of imported and exported wood is strictly ensured, in accordance with the provisions of the law on forest product management, creating favorable conditions for wood trading and processing enterprises to consume products.
It can be seen that, compared with Circular No. 27/2018/TTBNNPTNT regulating the management and traceability of forest products issued by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development in 2018, Circular 26 has removed obstacles and added new regulations to meet practical requirements for management and traceability of forest products.
However, according to representatives of the agricultural sector, there are still some problems in the implementation process. According to the provisions of Circular 26, timber from planted forests produced after exploitation with the organization's or individual's own capital when buying, selling, or transporting does not need confirmation from local forest rangers, making it difficult to trace the origin of forest products.
Most of the wood processing and trading enterprises in the province are small enterprises, not directly exporting wood but only exporting processed wood products, so it is very difficult to inspect, monitor and trace the origin. Some forest owners are households and individuals, a few wood processing enterprises do not cooperate with the forest rangers in tracing the origin of forest products, and do not fully and promptly report forest products and legal forest product records.
To effectively trace the origin of forest products and classify enterprises, the forest rangers need to strengthen their surveillance of the area, grasp the situation of forest exploitation to update the development of forests and forestry land. Accurately count the volume of exploited wood to serve the traceability of forest products. Continue to propagate and guide commercial enterprises processing forest products to update, record import and export forest products and report the origin of forest products in accordance with regulations, ensuring the correct legal forest product records as prescribed in Circular 26 and current regulations of the State.
When purchasing raw wood from production forests that are planted forests, wood with the same name as natural forest trees, scattered trees, home garden trees invested by organizations, individuals, households, and communities, forest product processing enterprises must have a list of forest products prepared by the forest product owner with confirmation from the local forestry agency. In addition, to ensure easy traceability of raw materials, forest product processing enterprises should prioritize purchasing raw wood with sustainable forest management certification.
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