sawlogs, pulplogs, pulp, wood, panels, plywood, mdf, osb, chipboard, veneer, bulk, pallets, wood, timber Vietnam and Bulgaria forge forestry ties

   Moscow. May 22, 2008. /Lesprom.com/.Representatives from Vietnam and Bulgaria have met to discuss potential ties in the forestry trade, reports APU Newswire. Delegates from the respective countries met in Hanoi, with Bulgaria's head of the State Forestry Agency, Stephen Yurukov, and the Vietnamese minister of agriculture and rural development, Cao Duc Phat, discussing links.

On the agenda were a number of agricultural issues, such as the import and export of fertiliser and farm produce, with the importance of forestry as a key driver of their respective economies also a focus of debate. Mr Phat and Mr Yurukov agreed that cooperating on the development of forests and the protection of existing sites would be something they could work towards.

Vietnam has increased forest coverage from 28 per cent in 1995 to almost 40 per cent by last year, with Mr Phat citing the 13 million hectares of forest in the country as an environmental, economic and social imperative. The visit of the Bulgarian delegation, which ends on Friday, 23 May included a session with the ranger department of the Vietnamese agriculture ministry and the party has toured a number of sites.