Hanoi (VNA) - The Import-Export Department underthe Ministry of Industry and Trade has urged firms to closely monitor theexport of agricultural products to China to prevent goods getting stuck atborder gates before and after the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.

Exports to China via border gates in northern provinces of LangSon, Lao Cai, Quang Ninh and Cao Bang often increase significantly in weeksbefore and after Tet, especially exports of agricultural products, food andfruits, the department said.

The department also asked provincial departments of industryand trade to provide updated information about exports via border gates tofirms and farmers, so they could be proactive in adjusting their production andtransportation plans.

Other measures such as increasing working time and addingmore staff on peak days could be considered.

According to Tran Quoc Toan, the department’s DeputyDirector, preventing congestion at border gates is very important to ensuregoods' quality as well as to avoid damage to firms and farmers.

Toan said that local departments of industry and trade, andagriculture and rural development should regularly check farming production interm of areas, yields, output and quality to make adjustments to ensuresupply-demand balance.

The purchase of locally-produced agricultural products byboth foreign and domestic traders must be monitored closely, he said.

In addition, it is important to ensure the volume of goodstransported via border gates must be in accordance with the actual customs clearancecapacity.

He added that the industry and trade ministry is cooperatingwith relevant agencies to speed up the development of infrastructure in thenorthern region.

In the long term, Toan said that firms needed to cooperatewith each other in production to prevent overproduction and prices from falling.

Market studies should also be carried out, especially aboutquality criteria and market tastes.

Customs statistics showed that exports of agriculturalproducts to China totalled 6.31 billion USD in the January-November period in 2019.

China is Vietnam’s largest market for agricultural products,accounting for 27 percent of the country’s total agro-fishery export revenue./.