Food ruined and unclaimed in ports as importers duck responsibility

Currently nearly 100 containers of frozen food are stuck in HCM City ports in HCM with importers refusing to receive them. Clamp downs and bureacratic changes have meant many importers trying to dodge responsibility for their own ordered goods - claiming instead exporters stated the wrong receivers.

 

Now, with the rules changed, many enterprises which can’t meet cold storage and packaging requirements, are continuing to import meat for domestic consumption. In some cases enterprises only applied for a license after their imports had already arrived at Vietnam’s ports.

 

According to the regional Veterinary Centre No 4, there are some 60 frozen meat importers in the southern region, while only 20 percent of them can meet the requirements on veterinary hygiene and cold storage.

 

Only 10 containers of chicken, which have been imported since the beginning of September, have gone through quarantine in customs clearance, just one tenth of that in previous months.

 

Animal health agencies have continued tightening meat import controls with agencies banning animal by-products, offal and irradiation on imports. As the result, many importers are afraid to make customs declarations in order to receive their imports as they are unlikely to meet new requirements. In all 2,500 tonnes of imported food, which arrived in the ports in HCM City in July and August, has become unowned.

 

Enterprises have to pay additional fees for keeping imports at ports, which makes every container cost USD 100-150 more per day. Therefore, many importers have simply disowned them instead.

 

Over 130 tonnes of frozen food imports have been left unclaimed at Phuoc Long port in District 9 for the last year.

 

“The imports show clear addresses of receivers. However, enterprises have to come forward to make a customs declarations for import clearance,” said Mai Van Tri, Deputy Head of the regional Customs Agency No 4. When customs agency officials contact businesses at addresses shown on consignments, many argued that the imports were not theirs, blaming mistakes made overseas instead.

 

In one case, a newspaper discovered exporters clearly pointed out the receiver of their consignment is V. Company, a food importer in Vietnam. Meanwhile, a food importer in Binh Duong province is believed to be the receiver of a consignment of 25 tonnes of chicken.  Imported one year ago, it is now being kept at Khanh Hoi district in district 4. However, while the receiver claims a mistake has been made and they are not responsible, the imported food expired in June 2009.

 

To date no final decision on how to deal with the imports has been made. A customs official explained that it remains unclear how to punish import companies. Presently ruined consignment mean shipping agents and ports will continues suffering while importers remain unpunished.