KUCHING, Oct 26: Forest Department Sarawak (FDS) director Datu Hamden Mohammed led 22 officials on a work-study visit to the Institute of Forest Tree Improvement and Biotechnology (IFTIB) in Hanoi, Vietnam from Oct 17 to 21.
The delegation consisted of officials from FDS, Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation (STIDC), Harwood Timber Sdn Bhd (HTSB), Sarawak Planted Forest (SPF), Sarawak Timber Association (STA) and representatives from the Plantation Committee members namely Shin Yang and Ta Ann.
One of the locations which IFTIB director Dr Nguyen Duc Kien brought them to was the Vietnamese Academy of Forest Science (VAFS) which includes IFTIB, Silviculture Research Institute, Research Institute of Forest Industry and Forest Protection Research Institute.
Other places they visited were Bac Giang City and IFTIB Centre for Experimental Breeding and Technology Transfer in Ba Vi to see firsthand Hanoi’s reforestation activities, veneer processing factory, seed orchards, and clonal trial of Acacia hybrids.
The purpose of the work-study visit was to witness the implementation and management concepts of forest plantations cultivated by leading companies and small-scale farmers in Hanoi.
Other than knowledge-sharing, the Sarawak delegates also got to see the testing of the latest Eucalyptus hybrids and Acacia species at IFTIB.
According to a statement by FDS today, the two species can be developed intensively to further strengthen the development of forest plantations in Sarawak.
STIDC general manager Datu Hashim Bojet, HTSB general manager Zainal Abidin Abdullah, SPF general manager Paul Valentine, and STA chief executive officer Annie Ting were among those who participated in the visit to Hanoi. — DayakDaily
