Party chief launches tree planting festival

Party General Secretary, State President Nguyen Phu Trong beats the drum to launch the tree planting festival

The event was jointly hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and authorities of Yen Bai province at Vien Cuong commune, Tran Yen district. 

Addressing the event, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong expressed his pleasure to witness the launching ceremony at in Yen Bai, a land of history, culture, and revolution. 

On November 28, 1959, President Ho Chi Minh wrote an article which was published on Nhan dan (People) newspaper, stressing the significance of tree planting to each person, each family and the entire nation. It has since become an annual festival of the Vietnamese at the beginning of a Lunar New Year. 

The Party and State leader underlined that tree plantation has played an important role in preventing natural disasters, improving the quality of the environment, and bettering local livelihoods amidst global warming, climate change and sea level rise, which are billed as one of the formidable challenges to the human beings in the 21st century.

He called upon the entire Party, army and people to engage in growing trees and forests and taking actions against deforestation as part of efforts to protect the environment. 

Addressing the event, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong reported that the country planted more than 231,000 hectares of concentrated forest and over 63 million scattered trees in 2018, raising the forest coverage to 41.65%. Meanwhile, the export of forestry products was estimated at over US$ 9.3 billion.

In accordance with the Target Program on Sustainable Forestry Development for 2016-2020, competent agencies and sectors will work to raise forestry production value by 6% annually, as well as forestry export to US$ 10.5 billion and forest coverage to 41.85% in 2019./.

By Kim Anh