Lang Son: many restrictions in the operation of warehouses, the gathering places for import/export goods

Bonded warehouse of Thien Loc Company at Na Hinh.

Lack of monitoring system

Speaking to reporters, a representative of the Lang Son Customs Department said that Lang Son province has 16 places to gather and inspect import/export goods, 2 duty free shops and 6 bonded warehouses in the border gate areas, operating in accordance with the Decree 68/2016/ND-CP and the Circular 84/2017/TT-BTC. In which, the unit is managing operations of 6 bonded warehouses of companies: Dat Phat Production and Import-Export Joint Stock Company; Thanh Trung Company Limited; Chi Ma - Beijing Bonded Warehousing Joint Stock Company; Thien Loc Investment and Development Joint Stock Company; Kim Phuc Ha Company Limited; Vinh Long Co., Ltd, concentrated in the border gates of Tan Thanh, Coc Nam and Chi Ma. Most of the bonded warehouses are located in the border areas, but there are also bonded warehouses outside the border gates, which make inspection and supervision difficult.

Under business conditions, most bonded warehouses must be equipped with a surveillance camera system and connected to Customs, ensuring the monitoring of goods and vehicles transporting in and out of bonded warehouses for a period of 12 months.

However, through observations and inspections during the recent fact-finding trip of Customs reporters to some bonded warehouses at the border gates, it showed the situation of violations of bonded warehouse conditions by some enterprises is still serious. Specifically: The bonded warehouse of Thien Loc Investment and Development Joint Stock Company did not meet the conditions of a camera system and data storage software, as well as the connection requirements between the monitoring system of the bonded warehouse to the Customs office.

Especially, at the bonded warehouse of Dap Phat Production and Import Export Joint Stock Company managed by the Coc Nam Customs, the bonded warehouse is divided into 2 hot and cold stores. At the hot stores, the company has installed surveillance cameras that can monitor the corners of the warehouse. However, in the cold storage section, because the temperature is too low (-25 degrees C), it cannot install a surveillance camera inside, so the company only installed a camera at the door. Tuan Minh Co., for example, the processing of export goods do not comply with, and are in contravention of regulations.

At 16 locations of goods gathering and inspection, reporters found that at each unit warehouse enterprises are using software from different vendors, which leads to unfavorable management activities for the Customs office. In particular, some software only indicates the number of means of transport to the gathering places, the number of vehicles remaining each day, without managing the quantity of goods entering and exiting the gathering place for the inspection of import/export goods.

In the area of Binh Nghi border gate, due to the lack of means for export, 3 places of gathering goods (Van Son Trading Co., Ltd, Thuan Phat Trading Co., Ltd - Lang Son and Thanh Thanh Investment Joint Stock Company Phat) newly put into use management software at the Cua Nam border gate, but with the number of Chinese vehicles moving high loads continuously, the application of software is difficult. One of the main reasons is that stopping and updating means of transportation into the system leads to traffic jams at the border, causing 2/3 of the places for gathering goods for inspection here not meeting the practical conditions of actual demand.

According to the representative of Lang Son Customs Department, currently 2 duty-free shops managed by Huu Nghi Border Gate Customs Sub-Department, have not satisfied the conditions of the location of the shop in accordance with the planning of the border gate, as well as not locating in the prescribed isolation area.

Talking to the reporter, a representative of Dat Phat Production and Import Export Joint Stock Company admitted that because the bonded warehouse has too low a temperature, it is impossible to install the surveillance camera inside in accordance with regulations, affecting the monitoring and data transmission, and causing the interconnection between the monitoring system of enterprises and Customs authorities to be interrupted.

Solutions

In order to carry out activities related to import/export, inspection, supervision creating maximum advantage for enterprises, Mr. Vy Cong Tuong, Deputy Director of Lang Son Customs Department, said that after conducting a direct inspection at some bonded warehouses and goods gathering places, the unit has asked the enterprises to quickly overcome the shortcomings, and at the same time, the Lang Son Customs Department is urgently completing the process of specifically monitoring bonded warehouses to raise the efficiency of supervision and management of bonded warehouse business activities in the locality.

The Lang Son Customs Department has also asked the border gate units to take the initiative in developing regulations on coordination between customs offices and warehousing businesses in the areas under their management. It also required warehouse management companies to use location management software, and administer a data comparison with the customs office periodically every 10 days to ensure the management of customs supervision. Particularly, enterprises need to regularly update import and export commodity data, improve material and technical conditions and apply software in management to meet the requirements of Decree No. 68/2016/ND-CP.

In addition, the Lang Son Customs Department also said that the General Department of Customs and Lang Son Provincial People's Committee should have sanctions for the spontaneous gathering places that have not been licensed to operate. Build the general software development to unify the management of the gathering places for inspecting import/export goods and bonded warehouses in accordance with the characteristics of Lang Son province.

According to the Lang Son Customs Department, currently in 16 locations of import and export goods inspection, there are 6 bonded warehouses under the management of the unit, there are only 5 places to gather and inspect import and export goods, and a bonded warehouse having a decision on establishment after the Decree 68/2016/ND-CP takes effect. Therefore, in order to create conditions for enterprises to operate, the Lang Son Customs recommends that the General Department of Customs propose the Ministry of Finance to extend the time for enterprises to meet the conditions for investment in facilities, in order to really meet the regulations at the border gates.