Part 1: Forest planting fails to meet target

Every year, Điện Biên province sets targets, builds plans, and supports local people with initial costs for forest planting. However, from 2021 until now, the forest planting plans have consistently failed to meet the set goals. Notably, in 2025, the localities did not carry out forest planting according to the set plan.

People are reluctant to plant forests

According to the Forest Protection Sub-department under the Department of Agriculture and Environment, every year, the provincial People’s Committee allocates a forest planting plan using funds from the sustainable forest protection and development projects. However, from 2022 to 2025, the province has not completed any of the forest planting plans. Specifically: In 2022, only 29.6 out of 150 hectares were planted (19.73% of the plan); in 2023, 70 out of 150 hectares (46.67% of the plan); in 2024, 51 out of 251 hectares (20.3% of the plan), and in 2025, 99 hectares were planned but no localities carried out the work.

At the start of each year, the local authorities organize dissemination, meetings, and encourage people to participate. However, each year the number of households registering to plant forests decreases, leading to a sharp decline in the area of new forest planting. Notably, in 2025, despite early dissemination in all villages, no household registered, causing the localities to be unable to implement the forest planting plan.

Mr. Phạm Quốc Huy, Deputy Director of the Forest Protection and Development Management Board, stated that the main reason for the lack of interest in forest production is the low investment support compared to other forest planting programs. Specifically, the current support for forest production planting is about VND 10 million per hectare, while the support for protective forests is nearly VND 40 million per hectare, and for forest replacement, it is about VND 107 million per hectare over four years. Meanwhile, forest planting and care require much labor, time, and cost. This significant disparity makes the program unattractive, and people are not interested in planting forest production.

In the past, the former Tuần Giáo and Mường Ảng areas were considered successful in the forest planting movement. Between 2016-2021, many localities competed to plant forests, with some years exceeding the planned area. However, since the new period, the development momentum has slowed down. The forest planting plan has continuously been delayed, not completed, or even not implemented at all. In 2025, the provincial People’s Committee allocated 50 hectares for the former Tuần Giáo area and 19 hectares for the former Mường Ảng, but the localities could not implement it.

Besides the low support, part of the reason is that most of the areas designated for forest production have been shifted by local residents to high-value crops such as coffee and macadamia.

Mr. Tòng Văn Xiêm, Head of Bon village, Mường Lạn commune, said: “The cost of digging holes and planting coffee is around 20 million VND per hectare, while forest production planting only receives 10 million VND per hectare over 4 years. This level of support is too low to attract people. Meanwhile, coffee not only has high economic returns but also yields quickly, and the harvesting cycle is long. Forest production, on the other hand, requires long-term investment, harvests only once, and its economic returns are lower. That’s why people are no longer interested in forest production.”

Low economic efficiency

From 2016 to 2019, forest production planting was considered a key direction in the development of the forestry economy in the former Mường Ảng area. Within just three years, the area planted with trees reached thousands of hectares. However, now that the trees are ready for harvest, the economic returns are not as expected.

Mường Lạn commune was once a key area for forest production in the former Mường Ảng district. From 2016 to 2019, the locality planted 428 hectares of acacia and mastic trees. To date, all of this area is ready for harvest. However, only two villages, Huổi Lỵ and Co Sản, have harvested their trees. The remaining area is still “idle” because there is no market or the purchase price is too low, leading to disappointing economic results.

In 2018, in response to the forest production development initiative of the commune, Mr. Tòng Văn Hoan from Bon village (Mường Lạn commune) invested in planting 1 hectare of acacia. Now, the forest has entered its eighth year, but it is still not ready for harvest. Mr. Hoan said: “A few years ago, traders came to inquire, but the price was too low, only VND 360,000 per cubic meter, so I haven’t sold it. In recent years, no one has come to inquire. The trees have passed their prime, and the wood quality has decreased, making it even harder to sell. Compared to other crops like corn and cassava, the economic efficiency is much lower.”

According to calculations, 1 hectare of acacia, after 7 years, yields approximately 80 tons, with a price of VND 360,000 per ton, yielding about VND 29 million, or more than VND 4 million per year. In contrast, cassava planted on the same area yields annually, with a yield of 6-7 tons per hectare, and sells for VND 1,300 - 1,500 per kilogram, bringing in VND 7.8 - 10 million per year, which is twice the income from planting acacia.

This reality has led people to shy away from planting forest production. Mr. Tòng Văn Xiêm said: “When we were encouraged to plant, the purchase price was promised to be between VND 1.1 - 1.3 million per ton, but when harvesting, it was only VND 360,000 per ton. Many forest production areas have no market, and some trees have been damaged by pests.”

Mr. Lường Văn Vui, Head of the Mường Lạn commune Economic Office, stated: “The low price of acacia is mainly due to the high costs of harvesting and transportation, as the terrain is mountainous, and transportation is difficult. Meanwhile, the purchase price at the factories is fixed, forcing traders to lower the price to make a profit. The low prices cause people to suffer, leading to a loss of confidence in forest production. As a result, in 2025, the commune was assigned the target of planting 8 hectares of forests, but it couldn’t be implemented."