by To Nhu
HA NOI — The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has expressed concern about not being able to achieve its target of five million hectare reforestation by 2010.
The ministry cited challenges in implementing incentive-based policies for growers.
The ministry’s director of Forestry Department, Nguyen Ngoc Binh presented details of the plans from 2006-2010 in which the country had decided to grow one million ha of forest. This included growing 250,000 ha of protective forest and forest areas specialised for preservation and scientific purposes as well as 750,000 ha of production forest area.
However, authorities have only been able to grow slightly more than 50 per cent of the scheduled forest area since 2006.
Binh attributed the shortcomings to several factors, including the localities’ wanting more payment for the protection of forests.
“Issues like the illegal cutting of forest trees and recurring forest fires have been constant in some localities in Tay Nguyen (the Central Highlands) and south eastern regions. Many migrants have destroyed forests to grow cash crops including coffee, pepper and cassava,” said Binh while narrating the challenges faced by his department.
The main obstacle hampering the programme’s progress is the low investment in growing protective forests and areas specialised for preservation and scientific purposes. This is despite efforts by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in conjunction with the Finance Ministry and relevant sectors, to double investment to VND6 million (US$363) per ha compared to 2006. However, in the current context of increasing prices, the low investment do not provide any incentive for people to want to continue the reforestation, said Binh.
The northern mountainous province of Yen Bai should provide some lessons in developing forest area in the country.
Deputy Director of Yen Bai Agriculture and Rural Development Ha Duc Hung said the price of rice was VND6,000 to VND7,000 per kg in 2006 when the State approved to pay VND6 million for one ha of forest growing. Today, the price has doubled.
“The payment should be raised to match the increasing price of rice,” said Hung.
Hung said the State had issued preferential policies for those who devoted lands to grow protective forest, in which they would be granted rice in seven years and allowed to grow acacia mixed with the forest.
“Growers would have to wait 15 years to earn money from acacia. This meant that they would have nothing in the interim eight-year period,” said Hung.
Deputy Director of Thua Thien – Hue Agriculture and Rural Development Hoang Ngoc Khanh said that to give the reforestation programme a boost, the ministry needed to issue policies that create conditions for investors to build wood processing units in localities.
State to the rescue
To encourage economic sectors to take part in growing a protective forest area, Binh said the ministry would allow investors to use funds from State budget. Priority would be given to key projects including Da River and north-western protective forest areas and pilot projects on protecting forest areas of 21 border communes in Lai Chau Province and four districts in Ha Giang Province.
As for southern provinces and the central highlands area, the ministry would focus on growing coastal protective forests and saline forests.
The ministry has also proposed that the Government increase wages for forestry labourers from the present VND25,000 – VND50,000 to VND70,000 per working day. —
