The Department of Industry and Handicraft,   Ministry of Industry and Commerce of Lao PDR and Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)  have organized workshop named Development of the Wood Processing Sector in Laos through re-engineering and re-organisation programmes with the private sector in Vientiane on the 3rd of Nov 2015 . At the meeting, representatives from government agencies, the private sector, civil society and the National University of Laos discussed results and recommendations of the study, which has been prepared as part of the Lao EU-FLEGT process (Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade) to advance the wood processing sector in Laos.

The workshop focus on the promotion of the wood processing industry to become a significant economic force to ensure more value is added to forest resources in the country. The objective of strengthening the wood processing industry is to increase export opportunities for finished wood products as well as to generate and retain jobs for local people.

The Director General of the Industry and Handicraft Department said that “Improving value added wood processing is crucial to enhancing the competitiveness of the Lao timber industry. The qualifications of staff and workers in the wood processing industry has to be enhanced and individual companies need to improve their market access by gaining access to better markets and product information. Creating  export opportunities in the ASEAN Economic Community and other export markets such as Europe, the U.S., Japan and China for legal and high quality products,” .

“The  improvement plans for pilot companies and the wood processing Strategy, when implemented,  shall gain  lots of benefits” by increasing added value  in the wood processing industry and increased efficiency of the companies and international competitiveness said senior international adviser to the German Development Cooperation Project.