Agricultural products accounted for 80% of goods exported through border gates in Lang Son province. On the other side, Guangxi province (China) is a destination for more than 90% of Vietnam’s agricultural exports. Therefore, the agricultural sector of our country needs to negotiate for a special trade mechanism with Guangxi province.
At the “Conference on Promoting Vietnam-China Agricultural and Fishery Trade in the New Context”, held by the MARD and the People’s Committee of Lang Son in collaboration with the General Department of Customs of China on February 14, 2023, Mr. Do Nam Trung, Consul General of Vietnam in Nanning, Guangxi (China) said that: Guangxi currently accounts for 90% of the trade turnover of agricultural products between Vietnam and China. In Guangxi, fruit is the most important product because the province has many border gates with Vietnam.
Most of Vietnam’s agricultural products exported to China go to Guangxi.
80% OF GOODS EXPORTED THROUGH LANG SON BORDER GATES ARE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS
According to Mr. Do Nam Trung, Guangxi will still be the focus of Vietnamese agricultural exports to China with good infrastructure and it is continuously invested and developed. In 2022, the value of Vietnamese agricultural imports to Guangxi only decreased by about 0.2% compared to the previous year. However, this year it is expected to grow strongly.
Commenting on the advantages between Guangxi and other localities of Vietnam sharing the borders with this province, Mr. Trung expressed that this will be a bridge point between farmers and consumers. Therefore, the leaders of the MARD and Lang Son province should negotiate with the leaders of Guangxi in China to build a special trade mechanism with this province.
“We need to make more effective use of the cooperation mechanism between the two countries to overcome difficulties and technical barriers; at the same time, build a roadmap and plan to open the market for exports, evaluate domestic production skills and the needs of the Chinese market,” Mr.Trung said.
Mr.Ho Tien Thieu, Chairman of Lang Son Provincial People’s Committee, said that during nearly 3 years of the Covid-19 pandemic, Lang Son province has prioritized border gate infrastructure investment resources, strengthened administrative reform, focusing on reforming administrative procedures associated with speeding up the application of information technology and digital transformation.
“There are about 1,000 vehicles through border gates in Jan 2023 every day. The import and export turnover of the province in Jan 2023 increased by 108.3% over the same period last year. In particular, Vietnamese agricultural products and fruits exported to China account for about 80% of the total value of goods exported through Lang Son”.
Mr. Ho Tien Thieu, Chairman of Lang Son Provincial People’s Committee.
Mr. Ho Tien Thieu, Chairman of Lang Son Provincial People’s Committee said that we need to create a favorable, transparent, safe, and equal business environment for import-export enterprises.
“The province strives to transparent processes, minimize costs and time for individuals and enterprises, seriously take actions to support, solve difficulties, accompany businesses, create a favorable, transparent, safe, and fair environment for import-export enterprises through the province”, Mr. Ho Tien Thieu affirmed.
Regarding the export activities through border gates in Lang Son, Mr. Ho Tien Thieu said that in 2022, the total import and export turnover through the province reached 3.1 billion USD, of which exports reached 940 million USD, agricultural exports reached 1.7 million tonnes, with a total value of about 705 million USD.
Lang Son currently maintains customs clearance of goods at 5 border gates including Huu Nghi, Tan Thanh, Chi Ma, Coc Nam, and Dong Dang Station. From January 19, 2023, Kep Station, Lang Giang District, Bac Giang has been temporarily allowed by the Ministry of Transport to operate international transportation. This is expected to reduce the workload on Gia Lam station, as well as help Vietnamese agricultural products enter deeper into the Chinese market.
From January 8, 2023, along with the adjustment of China’s pandemic prevention and control measures, the immigration and import-export activities at some border gates have gradually been restored.
Mr.Thieu suggested that localities with large production and processing areas, enterprises, and industry associations should strengthen the efficiency of quality management and food safety for export goods, and comply with the regulations of the Chinese market.
Mr.Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of the Vegetables and Fruits Association, said that China is aiming to increase imports of vegetables and fruits from ASEAN. Through the RCEP Agreement, businesses of Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam, have many opportunities to access the market of 1.4 billion people.
According to Mr.Nguyen, the biggest difficulty in promoting the export of vegetables and fruits to China is that there are still 7 out of 12 export items without protocol. This makes it hard for some main items such as dragon fruit, mango, and jackfruit to reach their full potential.
Another issue raised by Mr. Nguyen at the conference is the time to approve the planting area and packaging codes is long. For example, it takes about 6-7 months for dragon fruit to be approved, durian has great potential and value but the number of granted codes is small, accounting for about 5% of the total planting area. Through the conference, Mr. Nguyen suggested that management agencies pay more attention to vegetables and fruits so that this product can further increase its value in the future./.