HÀ NỘI — Ministries have continued accelerating administrative reforms to aid businesses in their operations.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) said they were reviewing and proposing to cut 241 business conditions out of 345, accounting for 70 per cent of the total in the area.

The Việt Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) on Wednesday in Hà Nội and MARD held a seminar collecting businesses’ opinions on the conditions in the agriculture sector.

Nguyễn Thị Kim Anh, director of the ministry’s Legal Department, said as many as 131 conditions of veterinary, animal feed, plant protection and quarantine, quality control, and genetically modified products would be revised, supplemented or eliminated in the administrative simplification.

In addition, many business conditions in the Law on Seafood would continue to be revised and simplified.

Tạ Văn Tường, director of Hà Nội’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, highly valued the efforts of the ministry in cutting unsuitable business conditions and removing barriers for firms in the sector.

However, Tường said the ministry should quickly promulgate technical standards and safety production progress for companies to easily follow, as well as facilitate authorities in after-checks.

“Enterprises would be more responsible about their products’ quality, while applying standards. Authorities could also reduce paper work,” he added.

Trần Văn Thiên from Việt Nam Veterinary Pharmaceutical Association was quoted by chinhphu.vn as saying that in reality, business conditions have not been a big issue. Sub-licences at guiding circulars have been barriers for firms.

Thiên suggested that the ministry review the sub-licences to cut unnecessary regulations.

Nguyễn Văn Sơn, chairman of Việt Nam Pesticide Association, said there were unsuitable business conditions, which were not approved for simplification this time around.

For example, the ministry stipulates that warehouses of pesticide producers must be located in industrial zones (IZs), while many factories have already been granted licences or built outside IZs.

It would cost businesses hundreds of billions of đồng to move their factories to IZs, he said.

Nguyễn Khánh Trình, director of a clean food chain, said his company received up to seven delegations conducting check-ups at shops within 20 days, causing their operations to be affected.

He said it was a paradox that food sold on pavements or small markets without tests or licences was not being checked by the delegations, while his company, which had ensured all the requirements for food safety, was.

The high number of checks was time consuming and troublesome, he said.

Cutting red tape

The Ministry of Transport has announced the elimination of 384 out of 570 business conditions overseen by the ministry, equivalent to 67.36 per cent of the total business conditions in the transport sector.

Transport minister Nguyễn Văn Thể recently signed off on Decision No. 767, which sets out a plan to remove and streamline regulations on business conditions in the transport sector.

The aviation sector has the largest number of business conditions to be simplified and cut, accounting for 74.36 per cent of the total business conditions of the sector. It is followed by the rail sector with 73.08 per cent of its business conditions being cut.

Meanwhile, the road sector will have 68.5 per cent of its business conditions eliminated, the waterway sector will remove 67.34 per cent of its conditions, and the maritime sector will cut 65.08 per cent of its conditions.

The multi-modal transportation services and transport of dangerous goods will see the smallest number of slashed conditions, making up 61.43 per cent of its total conditions.

Under the decision, the ministry asked relevant agencies to promptly review and compile legal documents based on the plan for the elimination of business conditions and submit them to the Government before October 30 this year.

In a recent meeting, Thể emphasised that the review and elimination of administrative procedures and business conditions is a regular task in creating favourable conditions for the people and enterprises, while helping to save costs and time. — VNS