Vietnam (Lesprom).- The turnover from timber and furniture exports from Vietnam in the first nine months of this year is estimated at $2.43 billion, a year-on-year increase

of 37.7%. The total export turnover of forestry products has risen to $2.6 billion, the local source reported. According to Vietnam's Timber and Forest Products Association, timber exports are showing positive signs, as orders for exports from now until the end of the year have risen rapidly and many of them to the country's major markets such as the US and the EU are very substantial. Timber now is amongst the top five vietnamese exports, and the country is Southeast Asia's second biggest timber exporter. Vietnam now has more than 2,500 timber processing businesses, 2.8 times higher than in 2000 and 7.7 times more than 1990. The number of non-State businesses represents 90% of the total.