2.1. Long-Term Objectives/or Economic Development in Vietnam
2.2. Development objectives of the Forestry Sector towards the year 2010
Being an important phase towards industrialization and modernization of the country the period under planning is the one meant for:
· Building up economic strengths;
· Taking advantage of the opportunities offered;
· Overcoming the challenge encountered;
· Promoting the process of "doi moi" on all fronts simultaneously;
· Helping all sectors of the economy develop their activities; and
· Improving the State management of a socialism-oriented market economy.
which is necessary for attaining the objectives and strategies already shaped out for accelerated and effective economic stabilization and development parallel with the solving of urgent social problems, the strengthening of national defence and security, the improvement of local people living conditions, the accumulation of capital to create the prerequisites for further development in the next century.
The main tasks and goals are:
· To increase the average GDP per person by 2 times as compared to that in 1990,· To reach an average annual increase in GDP by 9-10%, with increase in Agriculture-Forestry-Fishery products at 4.5-5%, for non-farm industries at 14-15%, services at 12-13%, and for exports at 28%. At the same time, total investment will amount to 30% of GDP, to which the contribution from farm (including forestry) industries accounts for 19-10%, non-farm industries for 34-35% and that from services for 45-46%.
The period under review should witness a further advancement towards stabilized economic growth and development, improved settlement of social problems and restructuring of economic mechanisms through the implementation of ten (10) programmes dealing with:
· agriculture and rural development;
· that of non-farm industries;
· infrastructure building;
· promotion of science, technology and environment conservation;
· foreign economic relations strengthening;
· home trade expansion;
· better settlement of social problems;
· territorial development;
· famine eradication and poverty alleviation all over the country.
The main points again are to strengthen the process of industrialization and modernization, to develop Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery parallel with produce processing, to promote non-farm industries for the production of consumer goods and exports, to enlarge home and foreign trade to expand the network of economic relations. Activities for upgrading, improving and expansion remain the core, with new establishment/construction being confined only to the most critical parts of the national infrastructure: in particular new construction is to be carried out for the development of the most important sectors of the heavy industry, for the development of research (especially applied research), technology, education and training. Cultural standards, sports, environmental protection, and for the creation of key industries dealing with the processing of agricultural produces and crude oils.
First estimates for investment during the period 1996-2000 are reported to reach US$ 42 bn or 2.2 times higher than the same in 1990-1995. About 50% of it are taken from national incomes, with the remaining coming from foreign funds and credits.
· Activities are to be deployed for changes from a short-term and exploitative forestry to a forestry capable of sustainable commercial production of a wide range of merchantable wood and non-wood forest products for national industrialization, export and domestic uses and also ready to provide shelter and protection for the conservation of the environment, the forest, their biodiversity, and the precious plant and wildlife resources therein.
· Following these lines, it is planned to protect and manage the following assets by 2010:
|
+ Special-use forests: |
1.2 million hectares |
|
+ Protection forests: |
8.0 million hectares |
|
+ Production forests: |
10.0 million hectares |
|
Total: |
19.2 million hectares |
It is planned to reach toward the year 2005 a forest cover of 40-45% over the whole country from the current one of 29% (in 1995)3.
3 A very fast rate of forest cover increase assumes rapid increases in agricultural productivity and in industrialization, factors which can divert rural people away from dependency on extensive forest and land use. The scenario is consistent with rapid industrialization planned (See section 1) (Editor).
Development objectives/or different categories of forests
· For the special-use forests, the development objectives are to protect the precious plant and animal gene resources there for further development of science, technology and tourism. Forests of this category are to be divided into 3 zones:
* the natural reserve zone meant for strict protection of natural resources;* the ecological restoration zone (elsewhere known as the multipurpose use zone = translator) managed by competent state agencies using national budget and funds: and
* the buffer zone in which forest peoples used to clear the protected area for cultivation and timber extraction, are living and practising land farming following appropriate technologies or are working within the protected area as forest guardians/staff.
· Protection forests are managed for the conservation of water and soil for countering the impacts of erosion by water, wind and those of natural calamities, or more generally speaking for environmental protection. The main technology applied is to protect the existing forests for maintenance, regeneration and restoration. Denuded hillsides and barren lands should be re-afforested with multi-storied forest plantations. The main procedures for management are: allocation of forest lands to be followed by "product-rating" (elsewhere named as "responsibility") contracting with local farmers supported by financial assistance and reasonable incomes to encourage people to carry out plantations and natural forest maintenance.
· Production forests are managed to meet the objectives of both timber production and environment protection. However, as natural forests were destroyed during decades by careless timber extraction and shifting cultivation, the government has to enact decisions to limit then to ban production therein for a period of 15-20 years for forest restoration and rejuvenation. During that period of waiting, wood products for uses in Vietnam are taken from imports and from mature plantations instead of natural forests. For denuded hillsides and barren lands found in this category (often classified as "lands not under use"), it is necessary to continue forest land allocation to people and economic units and to mobilize financial resources from within and without the country for forestry business development.
Efforts are to be made to create 5 million hectares of industrial (or commercial) forests for supply to national industries as required:
|
Industries and local demands |
Demands in products in 2005 |
Demand in wood and timber as raw materials in 20054 |
|
1. Paper |
1.5 million tons |
7.5 million tons = 12 million m3 |
|
2. Wood-based panels |
1.32 million m3 |
4 million m3 |
|
3. Mine timber |
|
0.35 million m3 |
|
4. Furniture and interior decoration |
2.4 million m3 (end-products) |
4.3 million m3 |
|
5. Building industries |
|
3 million m |
|
6. Fuelwood |
8 million m3 |
8 million m3 |
|
Total |
|
31.65 million m3 |
4 The Conversion factors used appear pessimistic at 5t/t (8 m /t) average for paper and 3 m3/m3 for panels (Editor).
Man-made industrial (commercial) forests should be crested to reach the following targets in the year 2005.
|
Description |
Area (in ha) |
|
1. Supply of raw materials to paper and wood-based panel industries |
2,000,000 |
|
2. Supply to mining industries |
80,000 |
|
3. Supply to furniture and cabinet-making |
370,000 |
|
4. Supply to building industries (timber) and households (fuelwood) |
1,600,000 |
|
5. Supply of non-wood forest products |
450,000 |
|
6. Supply of bamboos of all kinds |
500,000 |
|
Total |
5,000,000 |
