Description

Vietnam exported about 3.2 million tons of fuel pellets in 2020, this made the country the second-largest exporter of fuel pellets in the world, according to the General Department of Customs. Fuel pellets are made from biomass like wood waste, e.g., sawdust, wood shavings and agricultural waste, e.g., rice husks, corn stover. The major markets of Vietnam´s fuel pellets are Japan and South Korea, as reported by the Vietnam Timber and Forest Product Association (VIFOREST). The export value has increased 15.3-fold from US$ 23 million in 2013 to US$ 351 million in 2020, according to a study conducted by Forest trends and VIFOREST. However, there are existing challenges and it needs strategies to promote the pellet export to a higher value of billion US$. Additionally, the production of biomass fuel pellets can contribute to the utilization of agricultural residues, which are presently almost wastefully burned.

Sources & further information: “Việt Nam now world’s second-largest fuel pellet exporter” at https://vietnamnews.vn and https://en.vietnamplus.vn  and “Việt Nam trở thành nước xuất khẩu viên nén lớn thứ hai thế giới” at https://vneconomy.vn, accessed on 8 July 2021.