Support agricultural exports across Northern border gate

The seminar. Photo: H.N

The workshop was attended by Deputy Director General of the General Department of Vietnam Customs Luu Manh Tuong; Mr. Nguyen Nhu Quynh, Director of National Institution for Finance; representatives of leaders of the units: Lang Son Customs Department; Customs Research Institute; Vietnam Customs School; Cao Bang Customs Department; Risk Management Department; Institute of Financial Training and leaders of departments and agencies of Lang Son province.

Prospects in exporting agricultural products

At the seminar, Mr. Nguyen Nhu Quynh-Director of National Institution for Finance said that China’s easing of epidemic prevention measures helps to simplify the method of delivery and receipt of imported goods and facilitate the increase in goods exports, especially Vietnam’s agricultural products across border gates in the Northern border.

Since China loosened epidemic prevention measures, Vietnam’s export turnover with China across the northern border area has increased by about three times; Customs at some border gates have increased the working time to meet the needs of exchanging and trading import and export goods across the border.

There are still large prospects and potential for exporting agricultural products to China across the northern border gates in 2023. In order to realize the goals of exporting goods and agricultural products as well as to solve challenges in agricultural product import and export, the seminar was organized to assess the domestic and international macroeconomic-financial situation and impacts on cross-border agricultural export and import activities in Vietnam; assess the current status of policies on facilitation for the imports and exports in the new context, the role of the Customs and related agencies in agricultural export and import, difficulties and challenges for the import and export of agricultural products, recommendations on specific policies to the authorities to assist this operation in the near future, said Mr. Nguyen Nhu Quynh.

According to Ms. Le Thi Thuy Van, Deputy Director of the National Institution for Finance, the domestic macro economy first four months of 2023 was not stable, the world economic outlook was not positive for Vietnam’s export activities, total export turnover in the months of the year decreased by 11.8%. However, the export of agricultural products across the border saw positive changes, creating favorable conditions for exports across the border. There is still a lot of potential to increase the export and high demand from the Chinese market. Therefore, it needs support from the local government and the Customs sector in the near future to boost the agricultural exports.

Facing many difficulties and challenges

According to Mr. Le Xuan Sang, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Institute of Economics, the export of agricultural and fishery products recorded quite positive results in most markets in 2022. The export to the Chinese market saw a year-on-year rise of 25.3% to US$ 7.8 billion, accounting for 25% of the total export turnover of these products.

Mr. Le Xuan Sang said that, despite strong development in trade cooperation and agricultural trade, there are still many challenges posed to agricultural product exports. Notably, Chinese fruits had advantages compared with Vietnam’s products because the products have been cultivated and planted by Chinese farmers.

Mrs. Le Thi Thuy Van said that Vietnam’s agricultural exports to China still suffered from limitations as well as challenges. China’s economic recovery process still saw many potential risk factors and heavily depended on epidemic prevention and control policies. China increasingly tightened regulations on product quality, especially agricultural products, and food. Traffic infrastructure between the border gates of the two sides was in the process of investment and completion.

To expedite the export of agricultural products across the border, Ms. Le Thuy Van said that it is necessary to shift from unofficial-quota export to official-quota export for agricultural products; escalate trade promotion for Vietnamese agricultural products as well as create a bridge between Vietnamese enterprises and Chinese distribution enterprises and supermarket systems. At the same time, it is necessary to improve the quality of Vietnam’s export agricultural products to better satisfy the standards of export markets.

In particular, many speakers at the seminar said that the support from the local government and the Customs played a key role, especially the Customs in border gates in improving the capacity of goods clearance, inspection and supervision to create favorable conditions for enterprises.

In addition, businesses and agencies need to quickly promote the shift from unofficial-quota export to official-quota export for agricultural products. The competent authorities need to speed up the negotiation with China in accepting Vietnamese agricultural products in the near future, especially great potential products.

At the seminar, experts, scientists, and local departments and agencies focused on assessing the domestic and international macroeconomic-financial situation and the impacts on the cross-border import and export of agricultural products; the current implementation of policies on trade facilitation, and the actual operation in the new context.