Dong Nai Customs: understand the business situation to develop effective support solutions

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Officers of Nhon Trach Customs Branch guide procedures for import-export enterprises. Photo: N.H

Imports and exports plunge

The gloom in import and export activities of enterprises in Dong Nai province continues. This has been shown through the statistics from Dong Nai Customs Department with the number of declarations registered to carry out procedures at the unit as of March 18, reaching only 243,547, down 16% year-on-year. As a result, import-export turnover also declined by 23% to US$ 8.3 billion.

Recently, at Long Binh Tan Customs Branch, we felt the decline clearly when the entire yard area of Tan Cang Long Binh ICD was empty. This is in contrast with the scene of crowded goods and containers in the yard in 2022.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tho, Director of Long Binh Tan Customs Branch, said that it is estimated that the number of declarations made at the branch in the first quarter of 2023 decreases by 40% year-on-year. Of which, the export declarations plummet by 55% and the import declarations fall nearly 28%. Accordingly, import and export turnover also decreased. Of which, import turnover drops by nearly 57% to only US$134 million and export turnover reduces by 3.3% to nearly US$71 million.

At Nhon Trach Customs Branch, as of the end of February, the number of declarations made here is only 81% of the same period in 2022 and the import and export turnover is only 74% year-on-year, reaching US$2 billion.

Mr. Nguyen Van Duc, Deputy Director of Nhon Trach Customs Branch, said that most enterprises are facing many difficulties and operating under their capacity, especially in the textile and wood industries.

“There are enterprises that have imported raw materials and accessories for production, but because there are no orders, they have to re-export, while other enterprises cannot import materials from abroad for production,” said Mr. Duc. Accordingly, many enterprises forecast that it will not be until the third quarter, even the beginning of the fourth quarter of 2023, the situation will begin to grow gradually.

From the perspective of enterprises, Mr. Nguyen Van Ban, Deputy General Director of Dong Nai Port Joint Stock Company, said that the volume of goods through the port has started to decrease from about October and November 2022. Although it is almost the end of the first quarter of 2023, the output and revenue of Dong Nai port are still low and likely will not meet the set plan.

“Many of the company's customers are operating only a third compared to the last year. The amount of imported and exported goods is so small that many international shipping lines have gone straight and do not dock the ports in the southern region to pick up goods due to insufficient costs for ships to enter and exit the ports," said Mr. Ban.

Accompanying enterprises in order for them to become a true partner of Customs

Facing the problems of enterprises, Dong Nai Customs Department determined administrative reform and development of the Customs-Business partnership as a key task to accompany and help businesses overcome difficulties and seize the opportunity to recover.

Accordingly, in order for businesses to become a true partner of Dong Nai Customs, Mr. Le Thanh Van, Deputy Director of Dong Nai Customs Department said, the unit has set a goal to support businesses to catch up with new legal policies on customs in a timely manner, promptly solving difficulties and obstacles, creating maximum convenience for enterprises to carry out customs procedures.

According to Mr. Le Thanh Van, the most effective plan that Dong Nai Customs Department has implemented is to firmly grasp enterprises in the province; classified by enterprises groups to determine the support level and set up the most appropriate and effective system and solution.

Specifically, the connection between Customs and enterprises is made regularly, continuously, closely and synchronously at all three levels: Department - Branch - Team, Group, Customs officers, creating an equal, public and transparent environment for Customs and enterprises to exchange two-way information; supervise law enforcement on the basis of the Criteria for evaluation of enterprises about the Customs service.

In fact, Dong Nai Customs Department has always actively approached and effectively supported businesses, not only businesses that have made procedures at the unit, but businesses that are going to invest in the area to grasp their needs and offer effective support plans. Customs branches have also organized dozens of business trips to enterprises to grasp the situation, encourage them as well as find solutions to restore operations together.

Assessing the administrative reform and business support of Dong Nai Customs Department, Mr. Nguyen Van Ban said that customs officers are very active in solving problems for businesses.

According to Mr. Ban, although Dong Nai port was an international port, in terms of the organization of the Customs apparatus, it was only a team level. After the establishment of Dong Nai Port Customs Branch, the volume of goods through the port has increased significantly, helping the company's activities to develop more. Besides, along with the development of technology, the Customs Department has also proposed to the General Department of Customs, the Ministry of Finance to equip Dong Nai Port Joint Stock Company with a mobile container scanner to scan goods.

Thereby, it has helped increase the port's exploitation capacity, increase the initiative for customers, reduce human labor and increase efficiency in terms of logistics in general as well as the expenses of enterprises in particular.

Ms. Dang Thi Bich Loan, Director of Mekong Logistics Co., Ltd., also highly appreciated the customs reform and modernization through the application of information technology of Dong Nai Customs Department and the Customs sector.

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“The strong application of information technology to customs procedures and customs automation has helped logistics enterprises, as well as import and export enterprises, reduce costs of storing goods at warehouses and ports, border gate, and costs of personnel in the operation," said Ms. Loan.