Exporting agricultural products to China by sea is also ‘blocked’

Some Vietnamese enterprises said that their Chinese partners had informed them about suspending imports by sea from now until a new decision is made.

Nhat Thanh Sweet Potato Joint Stock Company has a contract to export 50 containers of Thai jackfruit and sweet potatoes every month to China. This company and its Chinese partner agreed to pre-export ten containers by sea.

However, sharing with VnExpress, Mr. Huynh Ngoc Co, director of the company, said that before exporting the goods, he received a notice from the partner that They suspended the export due to many force majeure reasons. In particular, the Chinese partner said that the government of this country has been tightening import activities since the beginning of this year. In addition, Chinese ports are congested because of slow clearance capacity under the impact of this country’s “Zero Covid” policy.

“We are baffled because of the sudden decision. However, fortunately, the goods have not been cut and packed, so temporarily diverted export and will return to this market if there is a new announcement from the partner,” he said. Have said.

According to the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, enterprises’ export activities by sea to China have been prolonged for more than a week now. Many orders still floating at sea have not yet arrived at the port, and there is a risk of cumulative loss when the goods are cleared for a long time, and the port is congested.

“The Chinese side reported that they can only check about five Vietnamese vegetables and fruits containers every day due to strict Covid-19 inspection regulations. Therefore, many import partners have informed Vietnamese businesses to limit exports by the sea during this time,” said Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen – General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association.

Next week, when China’s seaport staff take an early New Year break, it will make customs clearance even more difficult. According to Nguyen, strict quarantine regulations for crews led transshipment operators at ports in southern China to decide to suspend service for at least six weeks during the Lunar New Year holiday. He recommended that Vietnam’s agricultural products be restricted from exporting during this time.

Sharing the same view, the representative of the Ministry of Industry and Trade also confirmed that the Chinese government has just asked people working and serving at border gates to be quarantined for 21 days before returning for the Tet holiday, so the possibility of personnel working The jobs at the seaports on your side will have an early Tet holiday so they can ensure enough isolation time, similar to the road.

He also said that the Chinese side is applying stringent control measures to prevent and control Covid-19 by land and sea. They check the epidemic with people, vehicles, and goods, so customs clearance capacity for seaborne goods at ports is also reduced compared to before.

He recommended businesses to capture information to regulate the loading of goods on ships, affordable transportation, avoid the long Tet holiday on your side, affecting the quality of goods when they have to be stored for a long time. In addition, because going by sea is exported according to official quotas, it is mandatory for goods to have enough contracts and related papers … so businesses need to pay attention to avoid goods without enough procedures will be interrupted customs clearance.

(Source: VnExpress)