MoIT continues to streamline business procedures hinh anh 1The Ministry of Industry and Trade reduces the time for obtaining the necessary documents to export rice from 15 working days to 10. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh has signed Decision No.1408/QD-BCT approving plans to streamline 54 administrative procedures and conditional business lines this year.

This is the first administrative procedure simplification in 2018 and the third of its kind in the industry and trade sector.

Of the total procedures, 41 will be trimmed while another 12 administrative procedures will be on the chopping block, covering ten fields, including energy, electricity, competitiveness management, trade promotion, food safety and import-export.

The ministry will simplify and cut eight administrative procedures in food safety. Relating to Decree 109 on rice export, which has been a topic of debate in past years, the ministry reduced the time for obtaining the necessary documents to export rice from 15 working days to 10, and .

Regarding import-export activities, the ministry will remove the requirement to obtain a licence for tobacco imports for duty free trading. The licence has been applied since 1998.

The ministry also reduces the time for granting certificates of free sale (CFS) for imported and exported goods.

Also, the ministry reviewed and agreed to remove nine administrative procedures relating trade promotion activities.

In the past two years, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has made a big shakeup in line with the Party and State’s spirit of tectonic movements and renovation to create favourable conditions for citizens and businesses to develop the economy.

The ministry’s first administrative restructuring was implemented in December 2016, during which 123 administrative procedures out of the total 443 were simplified or annulled.

Last year, the ministry continued to cut and simplify 183 administrative procedures out of the total 451 at that time. The procedures under its management had increased from 443 in 2016 to 451 in 2017 as some sectors under other ministries’ management were transferred to the ministry.

The ministry has been praised for cutting 402 categories out of 702 import-export products, which were under special check-ups.-VNA

VNA