300 tonnes of agricultural products exported to China as border gates open

Customs clearance remains sluggish even after the border gates to China have been reopened

After the negotiations between the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), Lang Son province People's Committee, and the government of Guangxi, export-import activities via sub-border gate Tan Thanh-Po Chai have been resumed yesterday (February 20, 2020).

As of the end of yesterday, export procedures are rolling along at this border gate quite slowly, with only 11 containers of fruits (mainly dragon fruit) being cleared, equivalent to 3.6 per cent of the total export volume before the COVID-19 epidemic (around 300 containers a day).

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade's Agency of Foreign Trade, around 280 containers of agricultural products have been exported via Huu Nghi and Chi Ma border gates and Dong Dang station (Lang Son province), Mong Cai border gate (Quang Ninh), and Thanh Thuy border gate (Ha Giang).

However, more than 560 containers are waiting for customs clearance at Huu Nghi border gate, including 339 containers of dragon fruit, longan, and jackfruit, and there are 200 containers waiting at the border gates of Lao Cai province.

Last weekend, after border gates were opened for two days on February 10-11, more than 555 containers of agricultural products were waiting for customs clearance to resume for exports to China. Most of them (around 300 containers) were standing at Kim Thanh II border gate (Lao Cai province) and Huu Nghi border gate (Lang Son province).

At the same time, more than 100 containers of dragon fruit were stuck at Lang Son province's Tan Thanh border gate, dozens of containers were at Coc Nam and Chi Ma border gates, while 41 train cars (including seven carrying dragon fruit and the rest containing steel) were waiting to resume customs clearance at Dong Dang railway station.

The delays in customs clearance at border gates in Lang Son, Cao Bang, Quang Ninh, and Ha Giang until the end of February have had a significant impact on the consumption of agricultural products.

The two countries have agreed on strict prevention measures for export activities. Accordingly, vehicles transporting goods between Vietnam and China will be disinfected before entry and exit. Meanwhile, workers loading and unloading goods and drivers will have to follow strict protocols to avoid infection.