VIETNAM, February 14 - Illustration photo. The total number of trucks waiting for export at three border gates of Hữu Nghị, Tân Thanh and Chi Ma reached 1,646 vehicle as of the morning of February 11. — Photo baochinhphu.vn

HÀ NỘI — To solve the traffic congestion at the Lạng Sơn border gate, the provincial Department of Industry and Trade announced a temporarily stop on receiving vehicles carrying fresh fruits to China.

The implementation period is from Wednesday (February 16) to the end of February 25.

The total number of trucks waiting for export at three border gates of Hữu Nghị, Tân Thanh and Chi Ma reached 1,646 vehicles, of which 1,390 trucks are carrying fresh fruit as of the morning of February 11, accounting for nearly 85 per cent of the total number of trucks waiting to cross.

Currently, only about 70-90 vehicles can be cleared per day on average. Meanwhile, trucks carrying export goods from inland to the border gate area to wait for export tend to increase, averaging 160-180 trucks per day, mainly fresh fruits such as dragon fruit, watermelon, jackfruit, and mango.

China’s tightened COVID-19 preventive measures on people, vehicles and goods packaging has led to sluggish customs clearance. Some border gates are processing customs procedures at a rate much below normal.

Crops recently harvested in Việt Nam’s southern provinces and rising demand in China has resulted in vehicles, loaded with agricultural produce, coming to northern border gates in large numbers. A large flow of traffic to the border in a short period of time gives rise to congestion.

With the flow of goods from the provinces continuing to wait for export at the border gate and the above clearance capacity, it is forecasted that it will cause heavy congestion at the border gate areas in the province in the near future, causing damage to people and businesses.

The Department of Industry and Trade of Lạng Sơn Province has issued Official Letter No 206/SCT-QLTM, requesting provincial and municipal Departments of Industry and Trade, organisations, and enterprises to continue to closely coordinate with the Department of Industry and Trade of Lạng Sơn to regulate and limit goods to the border gate.

Lạng Sơn Department of Industry and Trade asked the Department of Industry and Trade of provinces and cities with fresh fruit products to export through the province to widely inform businesses and traders about temporarily stopping the delivery of fresh fruit to the area of ​​land border gates of the province for export.

The Departments of Industry and Trade of the provinces and cities continue to connect to the market, promote domestic consumption, focus on fruits and agricultural products that are in the harvest season; consider and guide enterprises to select and change modes of transport and export other than roads such as waterways and railways in order to reduce the load on road border gates; promote trade promotion, and expand export markets to other countries. — VNS