At the 4th Prime Minister's and Farmers Dialogue on May 29, Mr. Tran Nhu Kien, Director of Phuong Nam Cooperative (Yen Chau district, Son La province) said that, Son La farmers have actively restructured crops, applied high technology to production in association with value chains; many fruit trees have been granted planting area codes and exported to many markets around the world, including China .

However, China's Covid-19 disease control policies since 2020 have made exports to this market increasingly difficult.

Accordingly, Mr. Tran Nhu Kien asked, what solutions will the Government offer to support customs clearance and export activities to the Chinese market.

Answering questions about the issue of exporting goods to China, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said that the Prime Minister had discussed with high-ranking Chinese leaders and the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam; the Prime Minister along with the Ministry of Industry and Trade had a meeting with Chinese representatives to resolve difficulties in importing and exporting agricultural products. The Prime Minister is currently directing border provinces to cooperate with Chinese provinces in the exchange of goods between the two countries.

"However, China's anti-pandemic policies are different from Vietnam's, which is affecting the export of goods to China. China is also no longer as accessible as before, they have strengthened their control of goods; Their regulations are also increasingly strict, especially in terms of food safety and hygiene. China wants to increase official import and export while limiting unofficial exports", the Prime Minister addressed the issue.

Therefore, the Prime Minister said that in order to export goods smoothly to the Chinese market, Vietnam must increase official exports, focus on branding, improve product quality, connect businesses with farmers to increase the value of agricultural products.

According to Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien, China has applied the "Zero Covid" policy for the past two years, so customs clearance of agricultural products has faced many difficulties. On the other hand, some Vietnamese agricultural products, including fruits, are not subject to any trade agreement with China. Many Vietnamese agricultural products do not meet quality standards, causing export congestion.

“To solve this problem, the Government and ministries, specifically the Ministry of Industry and Trade, have maintained discussion with China to agree on customs clearance. In addition, the Government aims to sign the Protocol on agricultural product exports", said Minister Dien.

The Minister of Industry and Trade said that in order to support the official export of agricultural products to China, agricultural production mindset must be changed first and foremost; from a spontaneous production to production following market signals. Localities need to have a clear strategy, planning of planting and rearing areas, as well as very specific instructions on the cultivation and production processes to ensure that the quality of our products will meet standards.

“Additionally, although we agreed to not be too dependent on a singular market, we must affirm that China is a large market suitable for Vietnam's production. However, the Chinese market is no longer as accessible as it used to be", said Minister Dien.

China has set a series of standards for goods. Most notably, China has joined the RCEP agreement with Vietnam and ASEAN member countries. Accordingly, the Minister of Industry and Trade suggested that localities, businesses and production households to produce following market signals, produce following official export channels and produce following standards.

“The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development wants to emphasize that switching from small quote exports to official exports is an entire process. We have to be prepared to establish that process. Not only do we trade at the border gate, but we also need to trade in the northern part of China to ensure security. There have been many localities negotiating with Chinese traders to bring agricultural products inland", said Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan.

Translated by Nguyen Hai Long