Along with China's reopening, Vietnam is negotiating to diversify seafood exports to China. However, there are still barriers that exporters must overcome.

Implement the renewal registration in accordance with the GACC's regulations

Some enterprises have encountered difficulties in registering seafood exports to China under the new regulations. On one hand, the processing and approval of registration dossiers on the China import food enterprise registration (CIFER) system of the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) and approval of additional registration dossiers for live seafood packaging establishments from the Chinese side has been slow.

On the other hand, the Chinese side is also slow to respond to the application for additional product registration of Vietnamese enterprises. Some businesses themselves have not arranged resources to implement registration on the CIFER, especially registration renewal.

Nguyen Nhu Tiep, Director of the Department of Quality, Processing, and Market Development, said that seafood enterprises that want to export to China must be on the list of 805 enterprises that have been granted by China, otherwise, they must supplement their dossiers and wait for permits.

Therefore, enterprises need to carefully check the records, especially the code records to ensure compatibility before customs clearance. Currently, China has issued 128 product codes related to seafood.

According to the Department of Quality, Processing, and Market Development, export registration of seafood products is done entirely on the GACC's CIFER. Establishments registering to export live aquatic products such as tiger shrimp, vannamei shrimp, crabs, and live lobsters need to be assessed and certified by the NAFIQAD to ensure food safety conditions according to the regulations of Vietnam and China.

Farming and packing establishments need to be inspected and certified by the local agro-forestry-fishery management agency for food safety/veterinary hygiene conditions and issued with a code.

Additionally, some businesses have not registered on the CIFER, especially the renewal registration. Within 3-6 months before the expiration of the registration period, they must submit an application for registration renewal on the CIFER.

Therefore, the Department of Quality, Processing, and Market Development noted that businesses urgently apply for an extension in accordance with the GACC regulations so as not to affect export activities and limit trade bottlenecks.

To remove difficulties for Vietnamese enterprises, the Department of Quality, Processing, and Market Development recommended the Chinese side speed up the approval of registration documents on the CIFER; approve registration dossiers for establishments packing live aquatic products and registration dossiers for additional products. For enterprises, the Department recommended prioritizing resources to implement the registration on the CIFER, especially the renewal registration.

For management agencies, it is necessary to actively contact the GACC to arrange online meetings to discuss and promptly answer problems during the registration on the CIFER; contact and urge the Chinese side to handle the proposal of the Vietnamese side.

In the future, the Department of Quality, Processing, and Market Development suggested that localities and enterprises promoted trade cooperation with Guangxi, China in the direction of promoting complementary goods for each other's markets to exploit potentials, expand trade in both directions, and balance benefits.

Must have brand

According to a representative of Sunwah International Trade Company (Guangzhou), Vietnam officially exported durian to China later than Thailand and Malaysia. Meanwhile, these two countries both have larger production, packaging, and export processes than Vietnam. Their brand in the Chinese market is also getting stronger, so this is an obstacle for Vietnamese durian.

Therefore, the representative of Sunwah proposed the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to raise the export limit by allowing this enterprise to coordinate with Vietnamese packaging enterprises, contributing to standardizing the source of goods, refrigeration, and transportation.

"To win in the market, you must have a brand. From durian, other Vietnamese fruits will follow the path of creating a healthy brand," affirmed Sunwah's representative.

Besides, Sunwah said that Vietnam had a need to export potatoes and citrus to Yunnan. However, in the transaction process, there were many deals that violate contract conditions. This adversely affected the export reputation of Vietnamese enterprises. Sunwah proposed to work with Vietnamese businesses to create an exchange to improve the trade process between businesses of the two countries. "Objectively, a lot of Vietnamese agricultural products enter China, and less on the contrary. However, in any case, high-quality goods are what make Vietnamese agricultural products stand out," said the business representative.

To promote trade at Mong Cai - Dong Hung border gate, according to Hoang Ve, Deputy Director of the Department of Trade Management and Dong Hung border gate (China), in the future, Dongxing city will implement the "Belt and Road" policy, becoming the starting point from the western sea of China.

“We will continuously promote the import of agricultural products, optimize the work at the border gate, and build a good business environment between Dong Hung and Mong Cai city. Simultaneously, we will coordinate with the Vietnamese side to build the 'Intellectual Border Gate' and 'Two Smart Cities'. Also in 2023, we will build quarantine facilities for animals, plants, aquatic animals, and seafood at the border gate. Coordinate with Mong Cai city to build a testing laboratory at Km3+4. These standards will be developed by the Guangxi branch of China Testing Corporation (CCICGX),” said Ve.

Source: Customs News