A workshop was held in Hanoi on August 23 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Global Forest & Trade Network (GFTN) in coordination with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), aiming to train Vietnamese forest product traders in lawfulness of export products in the context of a changing legal environment.
“The enforcement of the Lacey Act, effective in September, concurrently poses challenges and provides opportunities for Vietnam to better manage forests, timber import and processing for the goal of expanding the share of Vietnam’s wood products in the United States furniture market”, said Ha Cong Tuan, Deputy General Director of the Vietnam Directorate of Forestry .
The GFTN will help Vietnamese businesses learn how to prove the lawful origin of timber products and search for responsible material sources, according to the GFTN director.-