Creating favorable condition for fruit export: Implement flexible solutions

Fruit output exported by businesses to the Chinese market through provincial border gates in the first month of 2023 increased sharply. According to the statistics of the Plant Quarantine Sub-Department of Region 7, from January 1, 2023 to the end of February 13, 2023, there were 1,360 shipments of fruits of all kinds with nearly 220 thousand tons were exported through 5 border gates of the province, an increase of 140% over the same period in 2022. In order for fruits exported through the area to be cleared in the most convenient way, the forces at the provincial border gate have flexibly implemented solutions.

An officer of the Plant Quarantine Station at Tan Thanh Border Gate inspected some exported fruits

At Tan Thanh Border Gate, from January 1 to February 13, 2023, the customs unit carried out export procedures for 827 fruit shipments with nearly 155,000 tons, an increase of nearly 200% over the same period in 2022, the turnover reached more than 48 million USD. Mr. Be Thai Hung, Deputy Director of Tan Thanh Border Gate Customs Sub-Department said: Since January 2023, China has basically restored the import and export activities of goods passing through the border gates of the two countries. Therefore, fruit export businesses promoted their export activities to the Chinese market. In order for Vietnam’s fruit products to be exported through Tan Thanh Border Gate most conveniently, the unit has put fruit on the list of priority goods “green channel”, which will not carry out physical inspection for this type of goods (only check the declaration dossier after customs clearance), therefore, exclude the travel time from the parking lot to the border gate, it only takes less than 1 minute to clear a shipment of fruit.

Not only at Tan Thanh Border Gate, following the direction of the provincial leaders, the Provincial Customs Department has directed the Customs Sub-departments at 5 open border gates to carry out customs clearance of 9 kinds of fruits and vegetables (dragon fruit, jackfruit, mango, watermelon, banana, rambutan, longan, mangosteen, durian) allowed to export to the Chinese market as “green channel” of goods, thereby it help to shorten the time for customs procedures and customs clearance. Along with that, the customs authority always arranges officers to be on duty, handle declarations of businesses on the 24/7 digital border gate platform, through which, all declarations of fruit products of businesses are processed immediately, even during lunch break, therefore, include the time to do other procedures, it only takes 2-3 minutes for fruit shipments to be cleared immediately.

The functional force at Huu Nghi international border gate checked the traceability stamp of the exported durians

Mr. Nguyen Huu Vuong, Deputy Director of Lang Son Customs Department said: The Department has directed the customs sub-department at the border gate to flexibly and apply reasonable solutions to timely support businesses export fruits. In which, priority is always given to carry out procedures in advance for shipments of Vietnamese fresh fruit exported through border gates.

In addition to customs, the plant quarantine agency at the border gates also created maximum favorable conditions for fruit exporters in the plant quarantine stage. Mrs. Nguyen Thi Ha, Director of the Plant Quarantine Sub-Department of Region 7 said: From the beginning of 2023 up to now, the Sub-Department has increased human and material resources at border gates to ensure quarantine work, both ensuring compliance with regulations and shortening the quarantine period to create favorable condition for businesses to have the fastest clearance.

Typically, the plant quarantine agency at the border gates through the declaration activities of fruit exporting businesses on the Digital Border Gate Platform get a list of businesses, registered number of shipments for export to take the initiative in taking product samples as soon as the businesses enters the parking lot at the border gate for quarantine, it only takes a few minutes to issue certificates of quality for fruit shipments that are eligible for customs clearance through the border gate. Along with that, leaders of plant quarantine stations at the border gate assign quarantine officers to be in charge of each shipment, through which the quarantine will be clearly separated, ensure that the quarantine work is carried out quickly.

In order to create the most favorable conditions for businesses to export goods, the forces at the border gate of the province have connected, organized the procedures for a shipment in the same time to complete the related procedures, thereby shortening the customs clearance time, especially for export fruits.

Tan Thanh Border Gate Customs officer inspected a shipment of dragon fruits for export

Mr. Nguyen Ve Quoc, representative of Van Hoa Import-Export Company Limited (Ho Chi Minh City) shared: The company is exporting durian through Huu Nghi International Border Gate, the company’s shipments are quickly cleared by the forces at the border gate and the important thing is that after informing about the shipment to the customs department, the business only needs to sit in one place after a few minutes and the shipment has enough papers to carry out customs clearance.

Mr. Vi Nhan Dao, Director of the Border Gate Management Center (Management Board of Dong Dang – Lang Son Economic Zone) said: In order to promote the customs clearance of goods, especially fruit products through the border gates of the province, in addition to regularly exchange with the authorities of Guangxi (China) to agree on the extension of customs clearance time, working even on days off, public holidays. The center also actively cooperated with forces at the border gate to organize channelization and create a separate channel for export fruit products. At the same time, the center together with parking yard businesses, to install separators in the yard to create export and import flows, avoid congestion right in the parking lot.

With the flexible implementation of solutions to facilitate fruit export businesses, these activities not only help to increase import-export turnover through the area but also attracts more businesses to import and export activities through border gates of the province.