Binh Duong Customs ensures quick cargo clearance amid pandemic

Professional activities at Song Than Industrial Park Customs Branch (Binh Duong). Photo: Minh Thiện

Ensure smooth import and export activities

Binh Duong is one of the key localities in the southern region that is heavily affected by Covid-19 with high a number of infections, many of which occurred in companies and factories.

Binh Duong Customs Department said that by monitoring and grasping information of businesses’ operations in the area, currently, there are more than 300 businesses that are heavily affected by Covid-19 because export orders are cut or cancelled. Enterprises have faced difficulties in transporting raw materials and finished products, while domestic consumption has fallen. Some enterprises have seen cases of Covid-19 infection causing disruption in production and business activities.

However, the majority of enterprises engaged in import-export activities continued to operate stably, maintaining growth in production and business. No enterprise has faced difficulties to declare bankruptcy and close like in 2020. Many businesses in the area have responded promptly to the lack of human resources, so they have arranged workers to live at the company to guaranteed production.

As an enterprise in Song Than II Industrial Park, Di An city - where social distancing is being implemented under Directive 16 of the Government to prevent the pandemic, Mr. Bui Hung Luan, Manager of Import-Export Department of Pob Huat Viet Co., Ltd. said that all Covid-19 infection prevention and control activities were being carried out regularly, employees and guests coming to work at the company had to measure their body temperature at the security gate.

In the company canteen, employees kept a safe distance. Some employees live in Ho Chi Minh City and a number of key department managers are arranged to stay at the company in order to maintain the production in the new situation. Moreover, according to Mr. Bui Hung Luan, compared to the time before the 4th wave of COVID-19, import-export activities of enterprises are still operating smoothly, on average in June, the company cleared about 500-600 containers of goods.

Similarly, Mr. Duong Van Tu, in charge of customs procedures at U&I Logistics Joint Stock Company, said that the cargo clearance of enterprises during this peak period of Covid-19 infection prevention and control was not affected. Binh Duong Customs Department has created convenience for enterprises' cargo clearance activities. Currently, businesses carry out clearance procedures for about 300 containers of import and export goods every day.

The company's drivers have been vaccinated and tested for Covid-19 in accordance with regulations, so the transportation of goods to Ho Chi Minh City is maintained.

Strive to accomplish dual tasks

Facing the difficult situation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, Binh Duong Customs Department has strived to effectively implement the 5K measures of the Ministry of Health and the directions of the Ministry of Finance and the General Department of Vietnam Customs on implementing the "dual task".

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh, Deputy Director of Binh Duong Customs Department, said that as soon as Ho Chi Minh City planned to apply social distancing under Directive 16, tightening the movement of people from Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces was forecasted, on July 8, 2021, the Department directed customs officials in Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces (going to work every day to return to Ho Chi Minh City) to arrange accommodation in Binh Duong to work. Currently, there are 35 officials residing at the Department and its branches to ensure smooth work.

Besides that, Binh Duong Customs directs branches to regularly pay attention to support enterprises, quickly clear import and export goods so that enterprises have enough raw materials, supplies, machinery and equipment for production to promote import and export. For a group of businesses affected by Covid-19 pandemic, leaders of the branch actively contacted them to grasp the situation of production, import and export activities each week, thereby giving solutions to remove obstacles in customs procedures for businesses, as well as prevent bad debts.

Binh Duong Customs Department has also effectively implemented scanning goods at two centralized goods inspection locations under the Customs Branch managing import and export goods outside the industrial zone, Song Than Customs Branch. Customs officials are ensured to be on duty to inspect goods through scanning machines 24/7, meeting the demand of enterprises for quick inspection and clearance of goods. As a result, the units performed quick clearance for 8,137 containers of 3,554 enterprises' declarations.

To ensure pandemic prevention and control, the Department has fully equipped Covid-19 infection prevention and control equipment for its affiliated units. The locations of carrying customs procedure at Customs Branch are arranged to welcome guests and receive dossiers to ensure safety and prevent the pandemic while ensuring friendliness, civility and courtesy. Guests coming to work and officials of the branch strictly follow the 5K directive, make medical declarations via Bluezone app with QR codes installed at the branches.

In addition, the unit also enhanced the application of information technology (Website, Zalo, Viber) to exchange, solve problems, guide enterprises to carry out customs procedures; communication on the application of online public service software to limit direct contact with enterprises, but still ensure the smooth and quick implementation of customs procedures for enterprises.