6 newly established wood chip factories discovered: Proposing Nghe An Provincial People's Committee to direct inspection
The summary of the review results of the People's Committees of 21 districts, cities and towns shows that after the Interdisciplinary Inspection Team under Decision No. 3967/QD-UBND dated December 1, 2023 of the Provincial People's Committee finished the inspection, 6 more new wood chip factories were established!
Roll call of 4 districts, 1 town
On December 1, 2023,Provincial People's Committeeissued Decision No. 3967/QD-UBND to establish an interdisciplinary inspection team to officially conduct a comprehensive inspection of wood chip processing and chopping activities in the province. By June 7, 2024, based on the inspection results of the interdisciplinary inspection team, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development had Report No. 249/BC-SNN.KL to the Provincial People's Committee. Here, it shows that the whole province has a total of 31wood processing and chipping facility.
However, at the same time the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development issued Report No. 249/BC-SNN.KL, the Nghe An Province Wood and Non-Timber Forest Products Processing Association also issued Document No. 08/HHCBG&LS to the Provincial People's Committee, requesting consideration of handling illegal wood chip processing facilities, with the following reflection:
“After the inspection team (the interdisciplinary inspection team established under Decision No. 3967/QD-UBND dated December 1, 2023 of the Provincial People's Committee) finished its inspection period, in some localities, many new wood chip processing facilities were established without investment policy approval from competent authorities.”
In response to this reflection, by Official Dispatch No. 5703/UBND-NN dated July 8, 2024, the Provincial People's Committee directed the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to preside over and coordinate with the Department of Industry and Trade, and the People's Committees of districts, cities and towns to review and clarify the reflection information of the Provincial Association of Wood Processing and Non-Timber Forest Products.
Implementing the direction of the Provincial People's Committee, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has issued 2 official dispatches (Official Dispatch No. 2878/SNN.KL dated July 17, 2024, Official Dispatch No. 3273/SNN.KL dated August 11, 2024) requesting the People's Committees of districts, cities and towns to inspect and verify the reflection of the Association of Wood Processing and Non-Timber Forest Products of Nghe An province.
It was not until the end of August 2024 that the review work of the People's Committees of districts, cities and towns was completed. According to the Forestry Department (the agency assigned by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to summarize the review results), the reflection of the Association of Wood Processing and Non-Timber Forest Products of Nghe An province is well-founded. Specifically, 6 new wood chip processing and chopping workshops have been established since the time the Interdisciplinary Inspection Team under Decision No. 3967/QD-UBND finished the inspection!
Specifically, in Chau Tien commune (Quy Chau), there is a wood chip processing and chopping workshop of Ta Quang Cong business household; in Nghia Tien commune, Thai Hoa town, there is a wood chip processing and chopping workshop of Tuan Van Forestry Products Processing Company Limited; in Hoang Mai town, in Quynh Vinh commune, there is a wood chip processing and chopping workshop of Phu Quy Industrial Wood Production Company Limited; in Quynh Xuan ward, there is a wood chip processing and chopping workshop of Hoang Gia Biomass Energy Joint Stock Company; in Ky Son commune, Tan Ky district, there is a wood chip processing and chopping workshop of Tuyen Quang Forestry Products Trading and Processing Joint Stock Company; in Phuc Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district, there is a wood chip processing and chopping workshop of Vu Ky Company Limited.
According to the representative of the Forestry Department, for the 6 newly established wood chip processing and chopping workshops after the Interdisciplinary Inspection Team finished the inspection, the Department reported and advised the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to request the Provincial People's Committee to direct the People's Committees of districts and towns to conduct inspections of law enforcement in all fields. If any violations are detected, they will be handled in accordance with legal regulations.
Regarding the recommendations and proposals to handle illegal wood chip processing facilities of the Nghe An Province Wood and Non-Timber Forest Products Processing Association, based on the report of the Interdisciplinary Inspection Team established under Decision No. 3967/QD-UBND, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has issued Report No. 249/BC-SNN.KL dated June 6, 2024, and at the same time, presided over and coordinated with the People's Committees of districts, cities, towns and related departments and branches to advise on the draft directive document of the Provincial People's Committee.
On July 19, 2024, the Provincial People's Committee issued Official Dispatch No. 6089/UBND-NN on strengthening state management and rectifying wood chip processing and chopping activities in the province. Here, the Provincial People's Committee assigned tasks to departments, branches, the Management Board of the Southeast Economic Zone, especially the People's Committees of districts, cities and towns to verify and handle the shortcomings and limitations of wood chip processing and chopping facilities in the assigned management areas.
There are signs of violation.
Recently, Nghe An Newspaper reporters have been informed and approached to grasp the production and business activities of a number of wood chip processing and chopping workshops (among 6 newly established workshops). Specifically, the wood chip processing and chopping workshop of Tuyen Quang Forestry Products Trading and Processing Joint Stock Company (Ky Son commune, Tan Ky district); the wood chip processing and chopping workshop of Ta Quang Cong business household in Chau Tien commune (Quy Chau); the wood chip processing and chopping workshop of Hoang Gia Biomass Energy Joint Stock Company in Quynh Xuan ward, Hoang Mai town... Thereby, they have heard about a number of shortcomings, problems, and signs of violations of legal regulations in the organization and operation of wood chip processing and chopping production.
That is, the People's Committee of Hoang Mai town has inspected and pointed out that the wood chip processing and chopping workshop of Phu Quy Industrial Wood Production Company Limited has made mistakes in using land for the wrong purpose, not fully implementing regulations on environmental protection, not paying attention to fire prevention and fighting... Meanwhile, the wood chip production and chopping workshop of Hoang Gia Biomass Energy Joint Stock Company has not fully implemented regulations on environmental protection, not storing records of forest product origin, not paying attention to fire prevention and fighting...
Or like the People's Committee of Tan Ky district, from verifying the report, proactively inspected to discover that there was a wood chip processing and chopping workshop newly established by Tuyen Quang Forestry Products Trading and Processing Joint Stock Company in Tien Phong hamlet, Ky Son commune; and recognized the laxity in state management and lack of responsibility in performing public duties of the Ky Son commune government. From here, the People's Committee of Tan Ky district decided to establish an Interdisciplinary Team (Decision No. 2483/QD-UBND dated August 14, 2024) to comprehensively inspect the compliance with legal regulations in wood chip processing and chopping activities in Ky Son commune...
Having access to and grasping information on the production and business activities of the above-mentioned wood processing and chipping workshops, we understand that the formation of wood processing and chipping workshops basically comes from the demand for acacia wood consumption of households, individuals and forest planting organizations. These wood processing and chipping workshops, located near raw acacia areas, are convenient for exploitation and transportation, reducing costs; thereby increasing the price of raw acacia wood, contributing to solving jobs and income for workers, increasing income for forest growers, developing planted forest areas...
But all production and business activities must comply with the law; organizations, households and individuals who need to operate in the wood processing and chipping industry are no exception. Therefore, it is necessary to have correct awareness and strictly comply!
Please note that, in Official Dispatch No. 6089/UBND-NN dated July 19, 2024 on "strengthening state management and rectifying wood processing and chipping activities in the province", the Provincial People's Committee directed the People's Committees of the districts to:
“Proactively conduct inspections and checks to detect, prevent, rectify, and handle according to authority or advise on timely and decisive handling, in accordance with legal regulations, of violations by wood chip processing and chopping facilities; absolutely do not let violations drag on, causing difficulties in handling…”; and affirm: “Any locality that does not implement, or does not implement seriously, allowing violations to recur, the Chairman of the District and Town People's Committee must be responsible before the Provincial People's Committee and the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee”.
