There is a need for specific measurement tools for 'green logistics'

These are 3 of many opinions given at the meeting organized by the Ministry of Industry and Trade to solicit opinions on the Draft Report and Draft Decision on the Strategy for developing Vietnam's logistics services for the period 2025 - 2035, with a vision to 2045, which took place on the morning of May 20 in Hanoi. Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan, Head of the Steering Committee for developing the Strategy, chaired the meeting.

Most opinions agree with the necessity of developing and promulgating the Draft Strategy.

The Draft Strategy for the Development of Vietnam's Logistics Services for the 2025-2035 Period, with a Vision to 2045 (Draft Strategy) has been completed and revised. Accordingly, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has organized activities to widely collect public opinions from relevant ministries, branches, agencies, organizations, associations, localities, enterprises, and experts across the country in many forms. In particular, on January 24 and 26, 2024, the Ministry of Industry and Trade organized a Workshop to collect opinions on the Draft Strategy in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan chaired the meeting.

Previously, on December 28, 2023, the Ministry of Industry and Trade issued Official Dispatch No. 9270/BCT-XNK to ministries, branches, provincial People's Committees, associations and relevant agencies and units requesting their participation in formulating the Strategy and reporting on the assessment and summary of the implementation results of the Action Plan to improve competitiveness and develop Vietnam's logistics services by 2025 approved by the Prime Minister in Decision 200/QD-TTg dated February 14, 2017. To date, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has received comments on the Draft Strategy dossier from 7 ministries, 21 localities and the Vietnam Logistics Services Association.

Basically, the participating opinions all agreed on the necessity of developing and promulgating the Draft Strategy and the viewpoints and orientations for the development of the logistics service industry in the Strategic Project Report, the Draft Submission to the Prime Minister, and the Draft Decision approving the Strategy.

At this meeting, some opinions said that the Draft Strategy for the Development of Vietnam's Logistics Services for the period 2025 - 2035, with a vision to 2045, has components related to the logistics ecosystem. Therefore, it is proposed that the Drafting Committee consider and add to the Strategy issues on technology, human resources, development of goods sources or specific measurement tools on 'green logistics', as well as the ranking according to the LPI index needs to be more clearly shown, logistics costs need to have appropriate assessment methods.

According to the representative of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, we have previously evaluated and compared logistics costs with GDP. However, this comparison is somewhat abstract and has certain difficulties. Should we compare logistics costs with product prices in each group of products or in groups of products that are highly representative and make up a large proportion of the product group?

Appreciating the meticulousness and seriousness in building the Draft Strategy of the Drafting Committee, Dr. Trinh Thi Thanh Thuy - former Deputy Director of the Institute for Strategy and Policy Research on Industry and Trade (Ministry of Industry and Trade) - said that at this consultation session, the Draft Strategy has been completed, edited quite a lot and has some essential highlights.

Giving additional comments on the Draft Strategy, Dr. Trinh Thi Thanh Thuy said that the terms in the Draft Strategy need to be more standardized. Criteria for digital transformation and green transformation need to be specific, although this is not easy. "The goal of ranking the LPI index in the world by 2035 to reach 40 or higher has led to misunderstandings that we are falling behind in this index, so the wording of this goal needs to be adjusted," Dr. Trinh Thi Thanh Thuy commented.

Continue to complete the Draft Strategy, expected to be submitted to the Government in early July

Concluding the meeting, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan, Head of the Steering Committee for Strategy Development, said that although the deadline assigned by the Prime Minister is the end of 2024, given the urgency of the content, it is necessary to collect opinions and complete the content of the Draft Strategy as soon as possible.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan speaks at the meeting

According to the Deputy Minister, the State is currently promoting investment in infrastructure; the construction of regional planning, sectoral planning, and local planning is also being built and has had initial results. Therefore, the construction of these plans in conjunction with the logistics strategies of localities is extremely important, this will create synchronization in implementation.

"Vietnam has many advantages to develop logistics services, therefore, the Ministry's view is to soon submit the Strategy to the Prime Minister for approval and promulgation," said Deputy Minister Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan.

At the meeting, many opinions were also concerned about the implementation time of the Vietnam Logistics Services Development Strategy for the period 2025 - 2035, with a vision to 2045. The Deputy Minister asked the Drafting Committee to explain this issue because the calculation of the period will greatly affect the organization of implementation. Along with that, the data in the Draft Strategy must be careful and synchronous. The wording, as well as the arrangement of the contents in the Draft Strategy must be logical, accordingly, it is necessary to create an environment, build basic infrastructure, develop the market, develop logistics industries... from which solutions can be found.

“We need to have another group of solutions related to the development of logistics services. For example, related to the issue of developing goods sources. If we can identify centers, regions, areas, and industries, we need to identify solutions for the development of these areas,” the Deputy Minister suggested.

Deputy Minister Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan said that the contributions of ministries, branches, localities, associations and enterprises will help create the most complete collective product. After this meeting, the Ministry will synthesize and continue to ask for contributions from ministries, branches, localities and associations on the Draft Strategy. The Ministry of Industry and Trade will synthesize full explanations, absorb and complete, and revise the Draft Strategy, the Draft Government Submission, and the Draft Decision approving the Strategy based on the comments.

Mr. Tran Thanh Hai - Deputy Director of the Import-Export Department (Ministry of Industry and Trade) spoke at the meeting

Taking note of the Deputy Minister's comments and those of management agencies, experts, associations, and industries, Mr. Tran Thanh Hai - Deputy Director of the Import-Export Department, Deputy Head of the Steering Committee, Head of the Strategy Drafting Committee - said that the Drafting Committee hopes that after this meeting, it will continue to receive as detailed and specific comments as possible so that the Drafting Committee can synthesize, absorb, and complete the Strategy Draft.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan requested the Import-Export Department to take note of the comments and complete the Draft Strategy, and continue to send comments to units, and at the end of June, continue to organize another meeting to collect comments from ministries, branches, associations, and experts to ensure the feasibility of the Draft Strategy before submitting it to the Prime Minister in July 2024.

Source: https://congthuong.vn/du-thao-chien-luoc-phat-trien-dich-vu-logistics-viet-nam-can-co-cong-cu-do-luong-cu-the-ve-logistics-xanh-321220.html