VietNamNet Bridge – Reviewing the project to plant 5 million hectares of forest (1998-2010), the National Assembly’s Committee for Science, Technology and Environment--pointed out eight shortcomings, including leasing forest land to foreign investors at dirty prices.

People worried about forest plantations scheme run by foreigners

It was reported that by 2010 the national forest coverage had increased to nearly 40 percent from 32 percent since the program was implemented in 1998. It significantly improved the ecological environment and created material growing areas for the wood processing sector.

Notably, the program helped generate employment and increase incomes for local people, especially those living in ethnic-inhabited regions. More than 1.2 million households, of whom 38 percent were poor, took part in the program.

However, Phung Quoc Hien, Chairman of the NA Committee for Finance and Budget, said that the program remains slow going, pointing to the fact that Vietnam has more than 2 million hectares of barren land and hill left. In addition, deforestation has occurred in several places, causing serious consequences.   

“Forest development should go along with forest protection,” said Mr Hien. “To encourage local people to get involved in the program, they should be aware that they get economic benefits from planting forests.”

Notably, there is a big problem associated with leasing forest land to foreign investors. The total land leased to foreign firms is 288,974 hectares, at the average leasing price of only VND180,000 ($8.5) per hectare, while local residents are in need of forest land.

According to the National Assembly’s Committee for Science, Technology and Environment, some provinces even lease forest areas which are important in terms of defense and security.

Leasing forest land to foreign investors heat up the National Assembly’s mid-term session in 2010. At that time, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat said that under the Law on Investment and the Land Law, provincial authorities are competent to lease land in their provinces. The ministry inspected two provinces and found out that they seriously observed the law on land leasing.

However, Chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee for Defence and Security Le Quang Binh said there were 19 forest leasing projects in 18 provinces with the total area higher than the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s reort.

“The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development does not make clear the position of leased areas, but we have defined that most of them are located in areas that are key for defense and security,” Binh said.

TA