Vietnam makes concerted efforts to recover consumption of agricultural products

A lorry is queuing for customs clearance at Tan Thanh Border Gate in the northern province of Lang Son, bordering with China. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

 
Hanoi (VNA) – Ministries, sectors and localities have made concerted efforts to recover sales and exports of Vietnamese agricultural products which have been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Clearing ways for border trade with China

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, 223 container trucks loaded with Vietnamese exports of farm produce, fruits and garment and textile on February 29 were customs-cleared at the Huu Nghi Border Gate in the northern province of Lang Son, bordering with China.

They had queued for days to enter China since the neighbouring country is imposing a nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

As many as 289 trucks carrying machines, glass products, textile and garment, electronics and auto parts from China were let through to Vietnam on the same day.

About 200 lorries, mostly with agricultural products and electronic parts, are still queuing for customs clearance at the Huu Nghi Border Gate. Meanwhile, around 250 trucks of mainly dragon fruit and watermelon remain stuck at Tan Thanh Border Gate, Vietnam’s main gate for exporting fruits to China in Lang Son.

A total of 465 trucks went through checkpoints in the northern province of Lao Cai, including 272 transporting dragon fruit, banana and watermelon to China.

Director of the Lang Son Department of Industry and Trade Phung Quang Hoi said the department will, together with other relevant authorities, speed up customs clearance at local border gates.

All the China-Vietnam border gates in China’s Guangxi reopened on February 28.

Boosting domestic consumption

According to the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade, many local retailers and logistics firms have actively engaged in distributing Vietnamese farm produce. Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade Tran Thi Phuong Lan said that the city has helped a number of agricultural products facing a risk of oversupply to reach shelves at local retailers and supermarkets and expand market access in the city.

The department plans to organise trade weeks to introduce and promote specialty farm products, particularly fruits such as plum, banana, longan and lychee, from other cities and provinces as the peak harvest season is nearing.

Last month, the Vietnam Vegetables Association (VinaFruit) sent a group of nine exporters to attend the International Trade Fair for Fruit and Vegetable Marketing (Fruit Logistica) in Berlin, Germany as part of the national trade promotion programme this year.

Numerous export deals were inked during the fair with the total value surging by 50 – 100 percent compared to last year. These orders will pave the way for about 15 – 20 million USD worth of shipments of dragon fruit, passion fruit, pomelo, sweet potato, mango, lychee, rambutan and more by the end of 2020.

Domestic retailers ink agreements with localities to support the distribution of farm produces. (Photo: VietnamPlus).

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Quoc Khanh has asked the Mnistry of Transportation to simultaneously enforce preventive measures against the coronavirus at border checkpoints and ports, and facilitate transborder trade of goods to help buffer the impact of the virus on agricultural production and consumption.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade will also coordinate with the Ministry of Finance to slash taxes and fees to help firms cushion the blow from the pandemic, he noted, adding that the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency was tasked to give priority to promoting Vietnamese agricultural and aquatic products at alternative markets which are not hit by the virus./.