Quang Tri Customs: Ensuring smooth import and export activities during the pandemic

Lao Bao customs officers (Quang Tri Customs Department) inspect import and export goods. Photo provided by the Customs Branch.

All indices have risen

Director of Quang Tri Customs Department Bui Thanh San said that during the time when some wards and cities in Quang Tri province applied Directive 15 and Directive 16, the leaders of the Department and Customs Branches in Lao Bao, La Ray and Cua Viet had encouraged all customs officers to stay at the office to ensure professional operations take place smoothly. At the same time, direct border-gate customs branches to actively develop appropriate plans and scenarios for pandemic prevention and control in order to avoid interruption for import-export activities of enterprises.

"Thanks to the good implementation of pandemic prevention and control plans, along with the efforts of customs officers, all import-export activities through Lao Bao, La Lay and Cua Viet border gates took place smoothly," Bui Thanh San said.

Specifically, in the third quarter of 2021, means of transport on exit and entry reached 43,868 turns, an increase of 17.79%; import-export turnover reached $311.57 million, rising 123.88% with the total weight of goods reaching over 600,000 tons, up 20.02% over the same period in 2020.

Quang Tri Customs processed procedures for 6,921 transit declarations, worth $3.2 billion, with 585,629 tons of goods including items such as electronic components, paper, and computers.

Talking to reporters, the leader of Lao Bao Border Gate Customs Branch said that, during the outbreak of Covid-19 in the area, the volume of goods always remained stable, and even increased.

The unit has actively developed a response plan. For example, limiting direct contact between Customs officers and businesses, arranging a desk to receive customs dossiers and disinfecting. Along with that, the customs branches also channeled, established a fenced-in area to prevent the spread of the disease to customs officers and employees in the unit.

“Avoiding interruption for entry and exit and import-export activities at the border gate during the peak period of anti-pandemic work, all customs officers performing tasks at the unit to meet the pandemic prevention and control scenario, as well as ensure the smooth operation of all professional activities," the leader of this Sub-Department stated.

According to statistics from the Quang Tri Customs Department, in the third quarter, the turnover indices and revenue through Lao Bao international border gate increased compared to the same period in 2020. In particular, there were 40,537 turns of vehicles on entry and exit of the country, an increase of 22.69%; import-export turnover reached $90.92 million, increasing 5.66%; cargo weight reached 238,096 tons, rising 12.75%; revenue collection reached VND83.799 billion, up 337.24%.

Meanwhile, at Cua Viet port border gate Customs Branch, in the third quarter, the import-export turnover reached $208.85 million, an increase of 394.83% over the same period in 2020. Accumulated to the end of the third quarter, the unit also reached more than VND968 billion in revenue collection, exceeding 284.43% of the target of 2021.

Continue to reform administrative procedures

According to Quang Tri Customs Department, the unit regularly and continuously implements administrative reform and customs modernization to remove difficulties for import-export enterprises, especially in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. The unit has established a professional team to support and handle customs procedures for import and export goods of enterprises.

In the third quarter, Quang Tri Customs received and processed 1,996 dossiers of 46 enterprises on the online public service system and all dossiers were processed on time. At the same time, there are 52 enterprises participating in electronic tax payment 24/7, with a total amount of VND111.4 billion, an increase of 153.1% over the same period in 2020.