'Do not issue additional processes, procedures, or licenses that hinder the flow of goods'

Attending were leaders of the Ministries of Industry and Trade, Agriculture and Rural Development, Transport, Health, Finance, Planning and Investment, Foreign Affairs, National Defense, Public Security, State Bank,People's Committees of provinces and cities and representatives of business associations.

Social distancing while maintaining production at "certain levels"

According to the report presented by Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien, in general, agricultural production is basically proactive in meeting food and foodstuff needs.

Agricultural export turnover achieved a fairly good growth rate in the first 6 months of 2021. However, starting from July, due to the strong outbreak of Covid-19 in many localities, especially key agricultural provinces in the South, it has negatively affected the production, harvesting, and export of many agricultural products with signs of decline.

In August, export turnover was estimated at nearly 3.4 billion USD, down 21.6% compared to August 2020. However, in the first 8 months of the year, the total export and import turnover of agricultural, forestry and fishery products was estimated at over 60.9 billion USD, of which exports were estimated at 32.13 billion USD, up 21.6% over the same period last year.

Opening the Conference, Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh said that during the recent period of social distancing, we have implemented many drastic policies to prevent and fight the epidemic, thus affecting the circulation of goods and production of enterprises. However, the problem is that with the same regulations, some localities have implemented them well, while others have deployed machinery, so production and business have encountered many difficulties, especially in agriculture, from livestock breeding, planting, to export. In addition, many places lack workers, lack input materials, import and export have encountered difficulties... Many localities are still rigid, creating many procedures that hinder the circulation of goods.

"Social distancing to prevent and fight the epidemic is a top priority, but it is also an extremely difficult task, requiring localities to flexibly and appropriately apply social distancing while maintaining production at a "certain level", the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized. The Deputy Prime Minister also noted the issue of safety in production because "if during production and circulation of goods, if there is not good control and a large outbreak occurs, it will be thousands of times more dangerous, not only to the health and lives of people but also to economic stagnation".

Speaking at the discussion, ministries, localities, and associations said that the agricultural export target of about 44 billion USD for the whole year of 2021 as planned is a huge challenge.

According to Vice Chairman of An Giang Provincial People's Committee Tran Anh Thu, the high price of fertilizers has also been one of the main difficulties in recent times. Mr. Thu suggested that it is necessary to continue reviewing the production, supply, import, logistics chain and people's use of fertilizers to reduce fertilizer prices to an appropriate level.

Mr. Ho Phuoc Thanh - Vice Chairman of Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee, proposed to promote trade promotion, connect trade, and propose having an agricultural product information portal connecting with foreign partners.

Some opinions reflect difficulties in exporting to markets, including China, when technical barriers on standards, quarantine, and food safety of countries in general and China in particular are increasingly high. Some new regulations on agricultural imports from China, applied from January 1, 2022, may affect the production and consumption of agricultural products in Vietnam. In addition, the shortage of empty containers and increased freight rates have greatly affected exports to the United States, the EU, and Northeast Asia as well as the import of raw materials for export.

Mr. Ho Tien Thieu - Chairman of Lang Son Provincial People's Committee said that currently only 4/12 border gates of Lang Son are operating and there has been a congestion situation while the amount of goods continues to accumulate, creating great pressure on the locality. The Chairman of Lang Son Provincial People's Committee requested that provinces and cities with agricultural products circulating to Lang Son's border gates proactively notify businesses to restructure goods to avoid congestion. Mr. Ho Tien Thieu also requested that provinces complete vaccination for drivers transporting agricultural products to ensure safe circulation and safe epidemic prevention and control for Lang Son province.

Chairman of Logistics Association Le Duy Hiep said that e-commerce platforms and online distribution channelsis a solution for goods circulation in the current context. He recommended that provinces and cities need to increase official exports to China; establish a national agricultural promotion center to connect with the US and EU; organize and plan regional logistics centers (especially in the Mekong Delta) to facilitate intra-regional circulation...

Sharing the same view, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Quoc Khanh suggested that traders and enterprises quickly switch to official export to ensure the consumption of agricultural and aquatic products for farmers. Emphasizing the role of localities, he raised the question, "Why can Bac Giang and Hai Duong smoothly export more than 100,000 tons of lychee in a short time while dragon fruit and watermelon are stuck in one place today and stuck in another tomorrow?" If the provinces growing dragon fruit and watermelon can do it like Bac Giang, "I believe that the consumption of agricultural products for farmers in the coming time will have positive changes", Mr. Tran Quoc Khanh expressed.

Agreeing with the opinion of the Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade on promoting exports through official channels, Deputy Minister of Finance Vu Thi Mai emphasized that if localities are proactive, the problem can be solved; otherwise, businesses will face many difficulties. The Ministry of Finance is actively implementing Resolution 105 of the Government on supporting businesses, cooperatives, and business households in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. According to this Resolution, Ms. Vu Thi Mai proposed that provinces and cities, especially Ho Chi Minh City, allow customs agencies to be arranged according to needs and work requirements to clear goods.

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Appreciating the opinions of ministries, branches, localities, associations, and enterprises, Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh emphasized that today's conference has practical significance for "the Government to listen and have more flexible and effective management solutions".

The Deputy Prime Minister also welcomed the efforts of ministries, branches and localities in synchronously and drastically implementing epidemic prevention and control solutions and achieving important results. We have gradually contained the epidemic, while maintaining suitable conditions to ensure production and business, minimizing impacts.

Affirming that the goal of suppressing the epidemic is the most important to protect people's lives and health, the Deputy Prime Minister shared the difficulties of businesses due to the impact of the epidemic. These include difficulties in mobilizing workers to work; obstacles in the circulation of goods, both input and output; reduced efficiency in harvesting, herd restoration, consumption, and production, etc.

“If there is no appropriate solution, the epidemic cannot be contained soon, and the social distancing situation is prolonged, it will be very difficult, not only for business owners but also affecting the lives of workers and farmers,” the Deputy Prime Minister shared.

Subjectively, the Deputy Prime Minister said that the management of some localities is still lacking in depth, rigidity, and timeliness, leading to congestion and stagnation in production and circulation of goods. The Government, the Prime Minister, and Deputy Prime Ministers have issued many documents directing and requiring to ensure no disruption in production and circulation. However, in reality, there are still localities, at times, that have applied machinery, leading to congestion.

Proposing to draw profound lessons from this issue, the Deputy Prime Minister gave an example of a locality that has set a regulation that cargo vehicles must transfer cargo, "transfer vehicles, change drivers", wasting time, causing congestion, "if a vehicle carrying hundreds of pigs, thousands of chickens is transferred, how can businesses survive!". "Some localities are so rigid that people are not allowed to bring in breeding animals to release, to restore the herd".

Agreeing with opinions that the role of localities is decisive, the Deputy Prime Minister requested that localities must ensure the smooth circulation of goods in accordance with the Government's direction, not issue additional processes, procedures, and licenses that cause difficulties and hinder the circulation of goods. Do not regulate the transfer of goods but strictly check the departure and destination points and have a way to manage F0 if the driver tests positive. Absolutely ensure that the epidemic does not spread through the circulation system of goods.

The Deputy Prime Minister requested that the People's Committees of provinces and cities coordinate with the health sector, the industry and trade sector, central ministries and branches, etc. to work specifically with businesses to remove difficulties and obstacles, and at the same time require businesses to develop plans to restore production. "For workers and factories in green areas, green communes, and green districts, the locality must have a plan to organize production again with specific conditions, such as before starting production, 100% of workers must have negative test results. If they are in green areas, you should let the workers go home and travel normally," the Deputy Prime Minister proposed a solution. "Prioritize vaccination for the production force. Conduct rapid tests for workers twice a week to promptly detect F0, ensuring absolute safety." Departments and branches must strictly control the implementation of businesses.

Regarding agricultural production, the Deputy Prime Minister noted that localities should closely coordinate with people and businesses in developing a master plan for agricultural reproduction, including paying attention to avoiding the risk of food shortages during the Lunar New Year.

Regarding the tasks of ministries and branches, the Deputy Prime Minister requested the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to urge localities to implement farming plans according to the schedule set out at the beginning of the year; develop plans and direct flexible adjustments to crop structures and types of farmed agricultural products to regulate supply, increase agricultural production efficiency, and truly make agriculture a pillar of the economy in difficult conditions.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade shall preside over and coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, and business associations in negotiating and providing market information; proactively raise issues on negotiating and removing technical barriers related to the agricultural market; proactively and actively enhance exchanges and negotiations with major import markets on facilitating customs clearance procedures for agricultural products;

Transporting goods during the period of Covid-19 prevention and control in Vinh City. Photo: Document

In particular, the Deputy Prime Minister requested not to issue additional regulations that hinderRegarding the circulation of goods, the Ministry of Transport regularly monitors the situation. "If there are problems in areas and ports, the Ministry of Transport must directly work with the provinces. If congestion occurs or other policies are issued, the Ministry of Transport must still take responsibility," the Deputy Prime Minister stated. In the coming time, it is necessary to study the opening of flights to serve the export of goods.

The Ministry of Health continues to prioritize vaccines for those involved in harvesting, purchasing, producing, and processing agricultural products.

The Ministry of Finance and the State Bank should soon have policies to support businesses and people to restore agricultural production./.