Fewer farming products crossing Lao Cai border gate due to COVID-19 pandemic

 The number of trucks that carry farming products to Kim Thanh International Border Gate No 2 for exports to China have reduced sharply at this time. On average, only 30-40 trucks underwent customs clearance daily.

Head of Lao Cai Border Gate Customs Division Le Phuong said that the division implemented drastic and flexible measures to boost imports and exports of goods during the COVID-19 pandemic to achieve the twin goals – meeting the COVID-19 prevention and control and maintaining socioeconomic development.

The division gave priority to farming products so that enterprises could complete customs procedures and export the products as soon as possible, Phuong said.

However, at this time, few farming products were exported to China via the Kim Thanh International Border Gate No.2.

“There are no congestions at the border gate at all,” he said.

Main Vietnamese fruits exported to China are bananas and jackfruit while Vietnam mostly imported vegetables, fruits, fertilisers and other agricultural inputs.

Notably, in the past time, Chinese importers usually imported green dragon fruit via the Kim Thanh border gate but now, they have shifted to Huu Nghi Bordergate in Lang Son Province.

Nguyen Van Ha, a truck driver who carries green dragon fruit from the central province of Binh Thuan said that for the last two weeks, Binh Thuan green dragon fruit was transported to Huu Nghi Border gate instead of Kim Thanh Border gate.

“It takes us about 40 hours travelling from Binh Thuan Province to Huu Nghi Border gate,” he said.

“We usually stop to cook at roadside instead of buying meals at restaurants for fear of COVID-19 infections,” he said.

Meanwhile, wholesalers said that farming products imported from China via the border gate in Lao Cai are consumed slowly.

Some potato importers had to open bags of potato at the storehouses nearby the border gate to remove rotten potatoes while wholesalers had to put imported fruits to cold storage, waiting for buyers.

A wholesaler said that for the last ten days, she sold much less because markets and wholesale markets in provinces were closed due to the COVID-19.

She said that she had given people free 30 tonnes of pumpkin as with the offer of VND 2,5000 per kilo, no one bought despite she paid VND 5,000 for a kilo of imported pumpkin.

Another wholesaler said that she was worried as she spent about VND 600 million to buy pumpkins.

She said she hoped the COVID-19 would be soon controlled so her business could be better.

Truck drivers, porters and other service providers at the border gates were also struggling to find jobs at this time.

A porter said that he now went to the border gate every two days instead of daily as previously.

“We have to test for SARS-CoV-2 whenever we enter the border gate. Testing is costly,” he said.

Nguyen Huy Tuong, vice director of Lao Cai Province’s Industry and Trade Department said that since May, China has tightened COVID-19 prevention and control measures.

Chinese authorities examined and disinfected farming products imported from Vietnam, resulting in a slowdown in exports of Vietnamese farming products, he said.

Lao Cai authorities informed enterprises and localities about the situations for them to adjust production and supply properly.

Lao Cai authorities also worked with Chinese counterparts to timely solve problems relating to import and export activities.

Tang Cheng Wei, head of the Pingxiang International Fruit Trading Association of China’s Guangxi province, said that fruit wholesale markets in China were under lockdown.

“Only 100 trucks carry farming products from Vietnam to Pingxiang daily due to a shortage of places for loading and unloading,” he said.

Prices of the farming products were not dropping thanks to stable demand but there was a shortage of porters, he said.

A representative for enterprises that import Vietnamese farming products said that prices were not a big issue now but they felt “ a bit tired” of waiting for the end of the fourth wave of COVID-19 in Vietnam.

Nguyen Trong Nghĩa, head of Dong Dang-Lang Son Economic Zone Management Board said that Lang Son province created favourable conditions for trucks carrying agriculture products.

Now, 500 drivers were eligible to drive exported products to China.

Authorities and enterprises co-operated closely in transporting, loading, unloading products to meet disease prevention and control requirements, avoid disruption in supply chains, he said.

According to the Dong Dang-Lang Son Economic Zone Management Board, between July 22 and July 28, about 150-160 trucks with farming products wen to China via Tan Thanh Border gate daily, of which, about 120-130 trucks carrying green dragon fruits.