Vietnamese ministry seeks PM’s help to ease border bottlenecks for agricultural imports

According to the ministry, under the government’s Decree 15, food safety inspections for imported agricultural products had been carried out smoothly, with no congestion at border gates.

However, since Decree 46 took effect on January 26, congestion of imported goods has emerged at multiple border crossings.

The ministry acknowledged that stricter food safety controls under Decree 46, which replaces Decree 15, are necessary in light of recent food safety incidents.

Nevertheless, the immediate enforcement of the decree from the date of signing has revealed several obstacles in practice.

Firstly, as per Clause 2, Article 25 of Decree 46, all imported food items subject to regular inspection undergo document checks, physical inspection of goods, and sampling for testing quality and food safety indicators.

The process of sending samples for testing and receiving results typically takes at least five to seven days.

Test results serve as the basis for issuing notices on whether imported food meets entry requirements.

This represents a major departure from Decree 15.

Meanwhile, most border gates, especially land border crossings, lack on-site testing facilities, creating significant challenges for inspection procedures.

Second, Clause 2 of Article 21 under Decree 46 requires the selection of quality and food safety indicators from declared groups in the import dossier for laboratory testing.

However, there is currently no specific guidance on the principles for selecting the indicators or the number of indicators to be tested.

As a result, border inspection authorities lack a clear basis for determining what and how many indicators must be examined.

Third, for imported fresh agricultural products that are not subject to conformity declaration, the registration dossier for food safety inspection must include a product standard document, as stipulated in Article 24 of Decree 46.

This is a new requirement compared with Decree 15, and no guidance has yet been issued on templates or mandatory contents of such product standards.

This has complicated the appraisal of dossiers by border inspection agencies.

Fourth, most imported agricultural products during the Lunar New Year period are fresh goods, while storage and preservation infrastructure at border gates remains inadequate.

This has led to congestion and increased risks of spoilage, causing losses for firms.

Also, Decree 46 does not allow enterprises to transport goods to their own warehouses for preservation while awaiting food safety test results.

According to statistics from import control authorities, as of January 29, a large number of import consignments had been awaiting inspection for customs clearance, totaling around 300,000 metric tons.

These mainly included vegetables, fruits, rice, cassava, and processed, packaged food products at land, waterway, and air border gates.

Backlog of imported agricultural products temporarily cleared

The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has coordinated closely with the People’s Committee of Tay Ninh Province in southern Vietnam, and directed plant quarantine agencies to temporarily address congestion at the province’s border gate and others nationwide.

On Saturday, the congestion of imported agricultural products was largely resolved.

The Plant Production and Protection Department under the ministry also sent a dispatch to the Food Safety Department of the Ministry of Health outlining the difficulties encountered during implementation of the decree, for consolidation and reporting to the central inter-sectoral steering committee for food safety, with a view to issuing guidance to address the problem.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment is also considering decentralizing authority to provincial People’s Committees to directly conduct food safety inspections for imported consignments under the ministry’s management, enabling local authorities to respond more proactively and flexibly to issues arising in their areas.

To promptly remove existing obstacles and facilitate food import and export activities, especially ahead of the Lunar New Year, the ministry has proposed the prime minister and the deputy prime minister assign the Ministry of Health as the focal agency to coordinate with relevant ministries and departments to urgently review and amend Decree 46 to ensure its feasibility.

Pending any amendments, the agriculture ministry has suggested that the Ministry of Health lead the issuance of guidance on the implementation of certain provisions of Decree 46 in line with practical conditions.

In addition, it has sought to proceed with procedures to decentralize food safety inspection of imported goods to local authorities to ensure convenience and consistency for importers.

While ministries coordinate to develop guidance on new aspects of Decree 46 for local implementation, the ministry has called on provincial and municipal People’s Committees with import-export border gates to continue directing specialized agencies to proactively address difficulties in general trade and agricultural imports within their authority.

They should closely monitor border situations and report developments to the ministry for timely support.