In the first half of April 2020, exports to China are encountered with various difficulties due to transportation control against COVID-19 pandemics. Specifically, in the context of customs units in border gates worked only 5 hours/day with holiday and weekend days off; therefore, cross-border trucks, most of which delivered agricultural products, were seriously backlogged.
With both countries’ efforts in controlling the epidemic, the Chinese government has directed the customs department and local authorities to gradually lift cross-border restrictions in Tan Thanh (Lang Son) and Po Chai (Quang Tay). Accordingly, the customs clearance process will be recovered as before: 8h – 11h in the morning and 12h-16h in the afternoon, normally operated on weekends.
According to Mr. Toan: “People’s Committee of all provinces must carefully advise enterprises and farmers to follow Dispatch No. 2487/BNN-CBTTNS issued by the Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development on April 9th 2020 on the status of farm produce at Vietnam-China border gates, together with all updated written paper of Lang Son authorities on exporting agricultural goods.”
It is expected that lychee exports will witness an increase in the next few months. Lychee harvesting season in Hainan island, Guangdong, Guangxi,… normally takes 4 months, between April and August with 70% of all produce being harvested from the middle of June to the end of July. The process is relatively similar to that in Vietnam. This year, lychee’s supplies are predicted to increase, thanks to better weather conditions compared to last year. As per the figures of Guangdong Lychee’s Association in China, 99% of fresh lychee is traded in the domestic market, while only 1% is exported to other countries.
As stated in the previous news, due to COVID-19, fruits and vegetables export turnover in the first 4 months has seen a 10,3% decrease against the same period in 2019, with the estimated total export value calculated until April equalling to 1.26 billion USD. Simultaneously, the total import turnover of vegetables and fruits for the first 4 months has reached 375 million USD. Therefore, there is an impressive 885-million USD trade surplus in vegetables and fruits for the beginning of 2020.
China continues to be the largest import market of Vietnam’s vegetables and fruits, accounting for 59,1% of all market share – yet still 22,7% lower than the same period last year.
Translated and edited by: Dandelion
