As hundreds of container trucks loaded with farm produce are stuck at border gates and crossings between Vietnam and China, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has asked local exporters to suspend the transport of farm produce to the northern border gates.

An employee arranges durians on the shelves at a collection point for traders.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has asked local exporters
to suspend the transport of farm produce to the northern border gates
– PHOTO: TRUNG CHANH 

Speaking at a meeting between the ministry and the Tien Giang government on February 11, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong said that the novel coronavirus, which emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year, has put a crimp in Vietnam’s economic development, including farm produce shipments to China.

“Normally, on the second day of the lunar New Year, the country sees agricultural goods being transported to the border gates for export,” Cuong said, adding that this year, given the coronavirus outbreak, border trading has yet to resume completely, leaving large volumes of goods in limbo.

The northern province of Lang Son has seen the stockpiling of 350 goods containers, while some 170 containers of farm produce, due to be exported to China, are stuck in Lao Cai Province, he noted.

Addressing the meeting, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam pointed out that a mere 30 goods containers are shipped to China each day through the Huu Nghi international border gate in Lang Son Province, posing challenges for bilateral trade amid the rapid spread of the Wuhan coronavirus.

Nam explained that goods exchange at the border gates with the Chinese provinces of Yunnan and Guangxi is currently mainly aimed at handling the large volumes of goods stuck at the gates. As such, exporters should stop transporting their goods to the border gates for export to ease the pressure on the gates.

Nam suggested firms stock up on agricultural products and store them in cold storage warehouses, while Cuong proposed firms and retailers enhance domestic consumption to address the large inventories of farm produce on the local market.