HCM City (VNA) – The JapanExternal Trade Organisation (JETRO) held a meeting in Ho Chi Minh City on March14 to help Japanese enterprises solve difficulties and challenges facing themin food import-export and business activities in Vietnam.
Nakagawa Motohisa from JETRO said Vietnamhas made strides in reforming and reducing administrative procedures, creatingfavourable conditions for foreign investors.
For Japan’s food firms, meetings anddialogues with Vietnamese offices have helped deal with difficulties.
Specifically, the taking of samples ofproducts weighing below 5kg, used in product introduction programmes or forresearch purpose, has halted, while examinations to grant food hygiene andsafety-related certificates to traders and shop-assistants have been held moreregularly, he stated.
However, Japanese firms held that thereremain many things which need to be tackled, including product declarationprocedures, specialised examination processes and plant and animal quarantine.
They said testing product compositions isessential to ensure food safety. However, Vietnamese offices should make a listof substances that are subject to tests.
Le Van Giang, deputy head of the Food SafetyAgency under the Health Ministry, stated that per a decree that becameeffective on February 2, 2018, besides health protection products, food used inmedicine and for children aged below 36 months, and food additives, enterprisescan declare products on their websites and send a copy of the declaration to amanagement agency, and then sell these products.
Japanese enterprises also expressed theirhope that Vietnam will consider reducing the frequency of and time needed forsample tests, which is currently seven days for meat and four days forvegetables and fruits.
Leaders from Vietnam’s ministries andsectors affirmed that Vietnam’s authorised offices will only strengtheninspections over imported goods when receiving warnings from export countriesand international organisations.
Vietnam also committed to creatingfavourable conditions for Japanese enterprises to boost bilateral economic andtrade ties.-VNA
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