China forestry sector output to reach $1.3t by 2020

BEIJING - China will bring its forestry output to 9 trillion yuan ($1.3 trillion) by 2020, a official has said.

Nearly 60 million people are expected to be employed in forestry, Zhang Jianlong, director of the State Forestry Administration, said at a conference.

Development of forestry can raise the income of a large workforce, he said.

About 60 percent of the country's poor population live in mountains, forests and desert regions, which are key areas for tree planting.

China has become the world's biggest producer, trader and consumer of forest products. Output grew from 409 billion yuan in 2001 to 5.9 trillion yuan in 2015, a 13.5-fold increase in 15 years.