HÀ NỘI — The Customs Branch of Region XX on Wednesday held a Customs–Business Dialogue focusing on the importation of natural resources, minerals, agricultural products through border gates, in the context of strong import growth and rising policy and procedural challenges.

In his opening remarks, Nguyễn Thanh Sang, head of the Customs Branch of Region XX, said the event aimed to foster closer cooperation between customs authorities and the business community, especially as the customs sector undergoes organisational restructuring towards greater efficiency.

“We are committed to treating businesses as partners and welcome timely feedback on service attitude and procedural issues to ensure more consistent policies and clearance processes,” Sang said.

During the discussion, many businesses shared their difficulties in importing goods through border gates. Key concerns included inconsistent plant quarantine practices across localities for rice imports, and unclear regulations on weight calculation for sand imports that involve moisture content.

Some shipping companies noted that to ensure efficiency, each sand vessel must operate 12 trips per month. They called on customs authorities to accelerate clearance procedures and extend working hours at border gates.

Responding to these concerns, Đặng Văn Tiến, deputy head of the branch, said the office would continue reviewing internal procedures and compile recommendations for higher-level authorities to address issues beyond its jurisdiction.

According to statistics from Customs Department, Việt Nam imported 15.17 million tonnes of ores and minerals in the first half of 2025, worth over US$1.55 billion, up 20.2 per cent in volume and 8.9 per cent in value compared to the same period in 2024.

Australia and Brazil remained the top two suppliers of ores and minerals to Việt Nam, accounting for over 68 per cent of the total import value. Specifically, imports from Australia reached 6.46 million tonnes, valued at $645.06 million, while Brazil contributed 3.98 million tonnes worth $417.03 million.

For the agro-forestry-fishery sector, Việt Nam imported the most from Asia, the Americas and Europe in the first half of 2024. Brazil, China and the US were Việt Nam’s three largest suppliers of agro-forestry-fishery products, with imports from Brazil seeing a sharp increase of 43.6 per cent. — VNS