Pontoon Bridge Km 3 + 4 Mong Cai (Quang Ninh): the access for Vietnamese exporting agricultural products

	Quang Ninh: Over 37,000 tons of fruits and seafood have been exported to pontoon bridge of Mong Cai
	Importing and exporting goods ebulliently at the pontoon bridge of Km3+4 Mong Cai

The vehicles carry export agricultural products through the pontoon bridge Km 3 + 4. Photo: Q.H

Procedural priority

Over the past years, the import and export of goods and services through border gates of Quang Ninh (Vietnam) - Guangxi (China) has been growing, the two-way turnover has reached high growth every year. Especially for traffic, the connecting roads with border gate systems, ICD shallow ports and seaports facilitate trade, transportation and exchange of goods. At the same time, Quang Ninh province also has focused on drastically reforming administrative procedures, creating a favourable, smooth and transparent business and investment environment, and has always accompanied with businesses to facilitate and support them engaging in import and export activities through border gates in the province.

Approved by the two country’s Governments, the pontoon bridge Km3+4 Mong Cai (Quang Ninh, Vietnam) with market area of Dong Hung city (China), has been built for export of fruits and agricultural products. This has opened up an opportunity to connect Vietnamese regions that produce large volumes of many types of fruit and agricultural products to the Chinese market. The pontoon bridge Km 3 + 4 has an area of over 100 hectares and has been in operation since March 7, 2018. Until now, export turnover through this area has reached over US$ 55 million.

Through a reporter's survey, goods imported and exported at pontoon bridge Km 3 + 4 (in Hai Yen ward, Mong Cai city) were mainly frozen agricultural products and seafood products for export. There were dozens of containers of agricultural products and seafood for export which were being loaded by workers on trucks (2.5 tons). All vehicles passing through this area were quite fast and smooth. At the open access pontoon bridge Km 3 + 4, Vietnam's fresh fruits (including dragon fruit, mango, rambutan, jackfruit, banana, longan, watermelon ...) were classified by channel and prioritized for Customs clearance.

According to the statistics from Mong Cai Border Gate Customs Branch (Quang Ninh Customs Department) - the unit assigned to manage the clearance point of pontoon bridge Km 3 + 4, after 10 months of operation until now, there have been 47,227 tons of fruit, equivalent to about 160 tons exported every day. These goods are mainly transacted in the form of export business and border residents.

Some Customs officers of Mong Cai border gate said that import and export activities through the area took place 24/24. Therefore, the Branch assigns enough officials and civil servants to participate in the duty (3 shifts per day) to supervise and implement procedures and release goods quickly for enterprises. In order to attract businesses to participate in procedures through the area in general, and though the open access pontoon bridge at Km3 + 4 in particular, in addition to the automated system for Customs clearance VNACCS / VCIS, the Branch put into use many software programs for internal management (software for management of goods for border residents and border gate transfer), facilitating inspections and supervision, thereby significantly shortening the Customs clearance time and reducing travel costs for enterprises. Also, the Branch closely coordinated with the competent authorities (Border Guard, Quarantine) to ensure the smooth inspection and clearance process.

Customs officers at Mong Cai border gate divide shifts to carry out procedures for import and export goods through the pontoon bridge Km 3 + 4. Photo: Q.H

A trading center for fruits will be established

Production and export of agricultural products are still fragmented and lack concentration, etc., making Vietnamese agricultural products currently fail to develop their brands. This is partly due to small-scale production, and so many businesses do not have enough funds to build brands partly due to insufficient awareness of role and value in international trade.

Therefore, at the end of November 2018, Quang Ninh Provincial People's Committee submitted a written proposal to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for supporting the policy of establishing the Asia-Pacific Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Trading Center (located at the pontoon bridge-head Km3 + 4).

The trading center has a transaction area of about 100 hectares (building houses to be arranged into trading zones of agricultural products, seafood and fruits, featuring electronic payment and quarantine zones for agricultural products, forestry and fisheries).

Total investment is estimated at VND 3,000 billion. This center is invested, managed and exploited byThanh Dat Joint Stock Company.

Quang Ninh: Over 37,000 tons of fruits and seafood have been exported to pontoon bridge of Mong Cai VCN – After 3 months of operation from 7/3, there are 20,707 tons of fruits and 16,547 ...

The establishment of the Trading Center will create favorable conditions for stable export of Vietnamese goods to the Chinese market, create a breakthrough, improve competitiveness; reduce Customs clearance time and costs and ensure the quality of goods, ensure the safety and convenience in border payment, international payment and prevent the price pressure on goods. On the other hand, it facilitates market expansion, information exchange, and is an intermediary to connect commodity markets between the two countries, bringing benefits not only for businesses but also for producers. .