VietNamNet Bridge - Animal feed importers complain that they have to pay tens of billions of dong every year for container storage fees.

Tran Thanh Quang, chair of Quang Minh Group, said animal feed material imports have to go through two quarantine doors – the plant quarantine to find if there are insects in the products, and a quality examination conducted by the Animal Husbandry Agency under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

In principle, importers can leave containers at ports for seven days while waiting for quarantine results. However, it takes 10 days at least to take samples to send to Hanoi for testing and wait for conclusions.

“The quarantine fee is inconsiderable, but the storage costs are really high, about tens of billions of dong a year,” he said.

Doan Trong Ly, chair of Aprocimex, pointed out that the input materials for making animal feed in Vietnam are more expensive than in other countries partly because of time-consuming and costly procedures and several fees, from wharfage to container storage costs.

Ly has called on management agencies to reconsider the current regulation on import quarantine, saying that it would be better to have 10 percent examination of import consignments instead of the current 100 percent.

Meanwhile, Tran Thanh Quang from Quang Minh Company, complained that Vietnamese companies have to pay $3-5 per ton higher for DDGS (distiller's dried grains with solubles) imports from the US. 

The Vietnam Plant Protection Agency requires DDGS fumigation before packing and shipping to Vietnam. Other importers do not require this.

Ly has called on the watchdog agency to remove the unnecessary regulation to help businesses save money and time.

“The US partners cannot understand why Vietnam still insists on fumigation while the rest of the world does not need this,” Ly said.

In reply, Bui Sy Doanh, head of the Plant Protection Agency, said the frequency of dangerous wood borers discovered in DDGS imports from the US has increased in the last two years. Therefore, the 100 percent examination and fumigation is a must.

MARD Minister Cao Duc Phat has asked the Plant Protection Agency to work with the US agencies on the matter and tell them that Vietnam will stop DDGS imports from the US if the percentage of import consignments containing wood borers reaches a certain level.

However, Phat admitted that it was not feasible to examine 100 percent of import consignments.

Luong Minh Tung from the Phuc Loc Group has proposed having post-customs clearance examinations instead of tightening control before customs clearance in order to create the most favorable conditions for businesses.

TBKTSG