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South Vietnam Ports stuck with agro imports
Hundreds of containers of agro-products, foodstuffs and animal feed are stuck in ports in South Vietnam, an impasse caused by the new Law on Food Safety and Hygiene which became effective July 1.
Under the new law, goods of plant origin imported into Vietnam must be produced by nations that meet Vietnam’s requirements for food safety, appropriate packaging and labelling in Vietnamese language stating certified mark.
Since the beginning of the month, nearly 300 containers of cashew nuts imported into Vietnam are lying stuck at ports in Ho Chi Minh City, according to a representative of Vietnam Cashew Association.
According to the Association, many containers of animal feed imports are also stuck in the ports.
However, imports are flowing smoothly through ports in Lao Cai, Tan Thanh and Mong Cai in the north. Maybe it is because the volumes of food products imported in the north are far less than in the south.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, up until now, Vietnam has been importing products of plant origin from 20 countries in the world. However, now only five countries have been permitted to export to Vietnam.
Nguyen Nhu Tiep, Head of the Department of Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Assurance said Vietnamese export goods also have to comply with strict regulations imposed by importing countries. Vietnam is hence justified in checking the origin of plant commodities imported from other countries.
Van Phuc – T.Huong
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