Customs proactively offer 6 solutions for agricultural exports

	Support agricultural exports across Northern border gate
	Customs creates maximum facilitation for agricultural exports
	Lang Son Customs strengthens solutions to facilitate agricultural exports

Talking about the role of Customs in agricultural export activities at the recent seminar " Importing and exporting agricultural products across borders in a new context: Current situation and solutions", Deputy Director General of the General Department Customs Luu Manh Tuong said that in the management of agricultural export products, the Customs agency plays an important role in both controlling and promoting agricultural exports. Accordingly, the General Department of Customs regularly ask the local customs units where there are exported agricultural products to develop solutions to create maximum conditions for fast customs clearance within the same day for exported agricultural products in the main crop in particular and agricultural products in general; immediately solve problems arising in export customs clearance for agricultural products; regularly exchange information with the quarantine agency to speed up customs clearance.

Customs officers inspect imports and exports at the Ta Lung border gate. Photo: T. Binh

Accordingly, the first solution is simplifying customs procedures, shortening customs clearance time, and creating maximum conditions for and expediting customs clearance (even outside office hours). In case the enterprise wants to change the checkpoint of export and the method of goods transportation or does not want to export, the customs shall guide the enterprise to amend, supplement or cancel the customs declaration (for cases where the customs declaration has been registered), register a new customs declaration according to regulations to continue exporting or bring goods back inland for consumption.

During the peak period at the border gates, the customs shall proactively issue temporary guidance documents on not inspecting the preservation of goods at the goods preservation place, as well as considering not sanctioning administrative violations in the field of customs for violating regulations on a time limit for customs procedures due to force majeure situations.

For post-customs clearance inspection activities, the customs shall temporarily suspend inspection and assessment of law compliance for enterprises without signs of violation to create conditions for enterprises to focus on solving difficulties and maintaining production and business activities; continue to develop a plan to arrange customs officers to carry out customs procedures and supervise export goods outside office hours, weekends and public holidays; give priority to trucks that have gone through customs procedures to pass through the border gate early;

In addition, the customs shall work with warehouse and yard operators at the border gate to arrange locations for the preservation of goods while waiting for export; allow enterprises to send export goods that have gone through customs procedures to cold storages (including bonded warehouses, frozen warehouses for temporary imports for exports) at border gates.

Moreover, the customs shall coordinate with other authorities at the border gate to hold talks with the Chinese side to strengthen customs clearance capacity and quickly solve congestion; regularly update the situation, provide timely information and recommendations to enterprises exporting agricultural products through border gates in the area; and closely cooperate with local governments to regulate traffic to avoid congestion, minimizing costs for businesses and traders.

The second solution is improving the efficiency of inspection and supervision of exported agricultural products by strengthening the application of the principle of inspection according to the method of channelization to decide inspection, expanding the online payment of taxes and customs fees, reducing time for enterprises in tax declaration; accelerating the implementation of the national single window and the ASEAN single window; working with other units to connect and exchange commercial information and enterprises involving in logistics, insurance and other related services;

A Customs officer of Tan Thanh Customs Branch (Lang Son Customs Department) guide enterprises in carrying out export procedures. Photo: H.Nu

Focusing on dealing with congestion and system errors and ensuring online data transmission and processing among customs units at all levels.

The third solution is supporting logistics enterprises in customs procedures, connecting and sharing information at seaports and airports, coordinating with seaport operators and logistics enterprises to implement digital transformation in logistics activities (soft infrastructure), applying blockchain technology, artificial intelligence, using e- DO and e-B/L, and seaport transportation management system; developing a backbone platform to connect existing technology applications to serve logistics service providers, management agencies and shippers;

Improving the professional process of managing records of agricultural product exporters and logistics enterprises, developing tools to assist in reviewing and detecting signs of risk from the results of management and analysis of the above information, piloting compliance assessment of logistics enterprises and evaluating the effectiveness of this work in the practice of state management of customs for import-export activities.

The fourth solution was coordinating with the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and through industry associations, Vietnam Logistics service business associations and the Department of Industry and Trade to promptly notify enterprises of agricultural product import policies of partner countries and suggested businesses to strictly control from harvesting, sorting, packing, loading and unloading of goods. At the same time, the customs shall work with the Ministry of Industry and Trade to promote trade, expand the export market of agricultural products, boost domestic consumption demand and agricultural product processing, coordinate with the People's Committees of the provinces and cities, the Ministry of Transport to direct their units under their respective functions to coordinate with the customs in controlling and facilitating the transportation and circulation of exported agricultural products.

The fifth solution is continuously disseminating to raise the awareness of legal compliance of enterprises in many forms, such as dialogues and consultations to support export enterprises to capture the regulations of other countries on quarantine, quality standards, licensing policy, payment procedures and insurance. Border-gate Customs units shall promote warning and raise awareness of enterprises about customs procedures for agricultural products; actively give recommendations to businesses upon import-export processing, especially for agricultural and aquatic products such as research and implementation of commercial activities according to international practices, and suggest businesses to closely negotiate contents of agreements in international commercial contracts and special provisions for cases affected by epidemics, natural disasters, etc.

The last solution focuses on exchanging, sharing information and providing mutual administrative support between Customs authorities to ensure that the information received by customs is accurate and complete. In particular, in the current context, when countries set requirements on technical standards, appropriate sanitary and phytosanitary measures are needed to protect human health and consumer interests. Therefore, it is required to be careful when choosing agricultural products in trade negotiations about the tariff reduction roadmap and to choose products with many advantages for export in negotiations to make the most of free trade agreements;

By 2030, 60% of agricultural exports are processed products

Expanding bilateral cooperation with other countries to take full advantage of the countries' strengths in supporting the implementation of the practical needs of Vietnam Customs. Especially in the context of growing economic and trade relations between Vietnam and China, the two parties discussed several cooperation orientations to strengthen bilateral cooperation with the goal of trade facilitation and effective enforcement of customs laws of the two parties;