Beijing, Dec 30 (IANS) The Chinese forestry industry output rose by 24.1 percent year-on-year to 2.83 trillion yuan (about $448 billion), the government announced Thursday.

China produced 165 million cubic meters of wood-based panels and 490 million sq meters of wood and bamboo flooring this year, up 7.7 percent and 2.2 percent year-on-year, respectively, the State Forestry Administration (SFA) said.

The forestry imports and exports hit $116 billion this year, up 23.6 percent from a year earlier, Jia Zhibang, head of SFA, said.

The sector's emerging industries also saw rapid growth. The output value of forest tourism increased over 10 percent year-on-year to 240 billion yuan, Jia added.

The country will further tap the sector's potential to speed up development, and strengthen the role of technology to promote the industry's competitiveness, Jia said.

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