Lang Son: Customs clearance capacity rises but does not meet demand

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The customs clearance capacity rose by 30%

According to Lang Son Department of Industry and Trade, the province has maintained customs clearance operations at four border gates; Huu Nghi international border gate, Dong Dang railway station international border gate, Chi Ma main border gate and Tan Thanh sub-border gate.

The Huu Nghi - Huu Nghi Quan and Tan Thanh - Po Chai border gates are launching contactless delivery model by cutting and connecting containers at the yard and deploying the digital border gate platform, so customs clearance capacity rose by more than 30% compared to April 2022.

The Chi Ma - Ai Diem border gate has only conducted customs clearance for imports but exports because the Chinese side is preparing conditions for pandemic prevention and control.

Lang Son province encourages businesses and traders to carry out import and export procedures at railway border gates to reduce costs and time. Photo: H.Nu

According to the Lang Son Department of Industry and Trade, although the customs clearance performance at the border gates has improved day by day it has not yet met the trading demand of businesses of the two sides.

In May, the clearance capacity at Huu Nghi, Tan Thanh and Chi Ma border gates reached 450 to 500 trucks/day, but the number of trucks for export was still low, only about 180-200 trucks/day. Specifically, at Huu Nghi international border gate, only about 60-70 trucks can be exported every day, Tan Thanh 100-140 trucks. Meanwhile, there were about 200 trucks per day carrying goods from inland to the border gates of the province to wait for export to China

Accordingly, by the end of May 29, the total number of trucks waiting for export at above three border gate was 1,682 units, including 1,084 trucks carrying fresh fruit. Lang Son Department of Industry and Trade said with the current clearance capacity, it takes more than 10 days to release all the existing goods at yards, while the number of new trucks from the provinces to the border gates is increasing.

Many solutions must be implemented

In the context that the customs clearance capacity not yet meeting the import-export needs of enterprises of both sides, especially when many kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables of Vietnam are in the main harvest season such as lychees, dragon fruit, mango. In order to ensure quality of goods, agricultural products and fruits and avoid congestion, Lang Son province has actively worked with Guangxi - China to build plans and adjust delivery methods in accordance with reality.

Accordingly, the province’s People's Committee has proposed solutions such as carrying out a plan to establish a three-layer "green zone" to ensure pandemic prevention and control for import and export activities at Huu Nghi, Tan Thanh and Chi Ma border gates.

Furthermore, Lang Son Department of Industry and Trade regularly updates the import-export situation, vehicle traffic, clearance capacity at border gates, pandemic prevention plans to advise businesses.

In particular, Lang Son Department of Industry and Trade proposed other provincial Departments of Industry and Trade to strengthen market connectivity, promote domestic processing and consumption, and promote trade and export to export to other countries.

In addition, Lang Son province also suggested that the provincial Departments of Industry and Trade should continue provide information to manufacturers, transporters and exporters about operation situation at border gates of Lang Son province, thereby making plans to appropriately regulate the quantity of trucks carrying goods to the border gates in Lang Son province.

Moreover, the provincial Departments of Industry and Trade should strengthen coordination with relevant departments and sectors to tighten supervision and management, and ensure that planting and production areas for export goods are safe from the Covid-19 pandemic, product quality and harvesting, packing, preservation, and transportation are carried out in accordance with regulations and requirements of importing markets. At the same time, it is necessary to guide businesses and traders to change transport modes other than road such as railway, waterway or expand the list of other export border gates.

According to Mr. Nguyen Dinh Dai, Director of Lang Son Department of Industry and Trade, this reduces the congestion of vehicles of all kind, thereby reducing pressure on coordination, arrangement of yards and customs clearance capacity at border gates; reducing time, costs of storage, years and losses caused by damaged goods for enterprises.

Lang Son Customs works with enterprises to renew business operations from the border gate

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Dai suggested that producers, processors, transporters and exporters should actively monitor and regularly update on port capacity, customs clearance speed, operation situation at border gates in Lang Son province; focus on assessing the actual situation to be proactive in production and business plans, and exports, especially for agricultural products and fresh fruits, thereby helping to minimize risks or economic loss.