Farmers in the southern province of Bình Phước's Lộc Ninh District harvest pepper. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính has ordered assistance for firms at risk of losing their shipments of farm produce to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

In a freshly signed dispatch, the PM has assigned the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to coordinate with the ministries of Trade and Industry (MoIT), Justice, Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), Transport, and the State Bank of Việt Nam; and to direct the Vietnamese Embassy in the United Arab Emirates to work closely with the host country’s competent agencies on a case involving four lost containers of agricultural products.

A number of online news outlets, including vtv.vn, tuoitre.vn, and tienphong.vn, have been running articles on the risk that some business members of the Việt Nam Pepper Association (VPA) are facing of losing their shipments of peppercorn, cinnamon, star anise, and cashews to UAE due to commercial fraud.

The dispatch stressed those concerned must come up with measures to ensure the legitimate rights and interests of Vietnamese enterprises in accordance with international law and local regulations. A report on the outcomes of the work must be submitted to the PM before August 5. In the meantime, a proposal must be made to the UAE side to apply urgent measures to protect a star anise container of a Vietnamese enterprise at the nation’s Jebel Ali Port.

The document wrote it is also necessary for the MoIT to join the association and representative agencies of Việt Nam overseas in advising firms to regularly provide information to relevant authorities for verification and thorough assessment of foreign partners before entering into trade agreements.

The MARD, meanwhile, is tasked with promoting the establishment of cooperative associations between Vietnamese agricultural export enterprises and UAE import-distribution businesses, creating a mechanism for cooperation and information exchange to prevent fraudulent activities and resolve trade disputes.