Lang Son regulates agricultural product exports to China

A report from Lang Son Province’s Department of Industry and Trade (DIT) on goods import and export in two days of November 23 – 24 shows a large number of vehicles are congested at the border gates.

Some 188 vehicles of imported and 626 of exported goods are being stopped at Huu Nghi International Border Gate.

In two days of November 23 and 24, 20 wagons of exported and 42 of imported goods have passed through the border gate of Dong Dang international railway station.

Some 42 vehicles of exported and 48 of imported goods have been through the Chi Ma main border gate, while the number of vehicles at the border gate waiting for export is 569.

A total of 272 vehicles transporting exported goods have passed through Tan Thanh sub-border gate, most of which (81 trucks) carried exported dragon fruits. Thus, from July 19 to November 23, 2021, the amount of vehicles transporting dragon fruits exported through Tan Thanh Border Gate has accumulated to 13,874, equivalent to 277,480 tons. In recent days, the number of dragon fruits exported through Lang Son has reached from 1,300 to nearly 2,400 tons/day.

Currently, Tan Thanh sub-border gate also has a huge inventory of vehicles being stopped there.

According to Lang Son’s DIT, the amount of agricultural products from domestic provinces and cities transported to Chi Ma main border gate for export to China in the recent time has increased highly. On average, nearly 200 vehicles rush toward the border gate every day but only about 40 trucks can be passed through to China.

Chi Ma border gate has a total of 9 terminals with a parking capacity for 490-500 vehicles, while the average number of trucks need to park there is 440/day. The number of vehicles sometimes reaches nearly 500/day. With the current custom clearance capacity, each vehicle needs more than 10 days to be able to release the transported goods.

Meanwhile, the number of vehicles carrying exported goods continues to move toward Chi Ma Border Gate causing difficulties for the Covid-19 pandemic prevention and control, security, order, and traffic safety in the area. This has also resulted in an increase in costs for business enterprises.

To cope with such difficulties, the DIT of Lang Son province has asked its partners of other provinces and cities to advise business enterprises, organizations, and individuals doing business in exporting goods through Lang Son in general, and through Chi Ma main border gate in particular, to proactively regulate goods to the border gate so that to minimize damage and losses during long storage in the warehouses .

The functional agencies of Lang Son Province are also carrying out measures, including discussions with their Chinese partners to strengthen their customs clearance capacity for imported and exported goods through border gates in the province.

"Lang Son is still trying to both control the pandemic and create all favorable conditions for export activities through border gates. Currently, in addition to the main provincial quarantine checkpoint, Lang Son maintains others for pandemic control at 5 border gates of Huu Nghi international border gate, Dong Dang international railway station, Chi Ma main border gate, Tan Thanh and Coc Nam auxiliary border gates...,” said Lieu Anh Minh, Deputy Director of the DIT of Lang Son Province.

Explaining about the establishment of more quarantine checkpoints at the border gates Mr. Minh said: “Currently, China still considers Vietnam a pandemic-hit country. If we just let 1 case of infection among drivers pass through the border gate to the country where you export the goods, maybe China will close the trade exchange right at the border area where the case is recorded. If China closes the border gate, Vietnam's goods and agricultural products cannot be exported and the damage will be huge.”

Mr. Ho Tien Thieu - Chairman of the People's Committee of Lang Son Province, said that the province has directed authorities of all localities to continue forecasting the situation, grasp the policies and apply measures to solve issues of import and export through China. At the same time, they should strengthen exchanges and cooperation with Chinese partners, especially organizing dialogues and discussions to promptly propose measures to remove difficulties, creating momentum to boost import and export activities, strengthening domestic production, improving the capacity of customs clearance for import and export of goods and limiting congestion of goods through border gates.