Enterprises ask for help from the Chairman of An Giang province to lease a wharf to export 50,000 tons of rice

Rented the wrong public land, found out many years later

Over the past few months, Mr. Pham Hoang Lam, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Lamcofood Agricultural Joint Stock Company (Lamcofood Company - headquartered in Chau Thanh District, An Giang) has had to run around many places to "ask for help" from the leaders of An Giang province and the provincial departments and branches to ask for support for a temporary rice loading dock at Tinh Bien Border Gate Economic Zone to meet the export schedule of 50,000 tons of rice to Cambodian partners, but there have been no results.

Mr. Lam is also the legal representative of Lam Anh Joint Stock Company (Lam Anh Company - headquartered in Ho Chi Minh City), which has been granted a certificate of eligibility to export rice by the Ministry of Industry and Trade since 2018.

Lamcofood Company's signboard at Tinh Bien Border Gate Economic Zone was dismantled and the temporary warehouse was also dismantled, leaving only the frame.

"In 2023, Lam Anh Company and Lamcofood Company jointly exported 50,000 tons of sticky rice and Japanese rice (Japonica) to Cambodia through Tinh Bien border gate ( An Giang ). However, from June until now, due to the lack of a separate wharf to load rice for export, only about 20,000 tons have been delivered to Cambodian partners, with about 30,000 tons yet to be delivered. In less than a month, 2023 will be over. At this rate, the possibility of the company having to compensate its partners for the contract is very high," Mr. Lam lamented.

According to Mr. Lam, knowing that NVN Company (headquartered in Tri Ton District, An Giang) rented land at Tinh Bien Border Gate Economic Zone to serve the needs of exporting and importing goods to Cambodia, from October 2020, Lamcofood Company rented from this company the land adjacent to Vinh Te Canal to build a temporary house and a conveyor belt to load rice for export. The rental price agreed between the two parties is that Lamcofood Company pays NVN Company 22,000 VND/ton of rice loaded at the yard (excluding loading and unloading costs).

From October 2020 to the end of May 2023, at this loading dock, Mr. Lam's company exported 120,000 tons of rice to Cambodia and paid NVN Company about 2.5 billion VND in yard rent.

Tinh Bien Town authorities inspect the temporary rice loading area of ​​Lamcofood Company at Tinh Bien Border Gate Economic Zone.

"It was not until May 2023 that I learned that NVN Company had used public land managed by the An Giang Provincial Economic Zone Management Board to rent a warehouse for my company. On June 1, NVN Company sent people to dismantle the temporary house, cut off the electricity, and removed the Lamcofood Company signboard, while the above location had been granted a business location certificate by the An Giang Department of Planning and Investment according to regulations. Since then, I have encountered many difficulties in finding a location to export goods to Cambodia," said Mr. Lam.

Businesses continuously "cry for help" asking for temporary rice loading docks

Mr. Lam said that when he has his own wharf, his company will be proactive and export more than 5,000 tons of rice each month, creating stable jobs for about 30 local workers. Now that he no longer has a wharf for loading rice, he has to rely on the wharfs of other companies in Tinh Bien Border Gate Economic Zone when they are not exporting goods, so he can only export about 1,000 tons of rice each month.

"I have repeatedly sent petitions to the Chairman of the People's Committee of An Giang province and related departments and branches for help, asking for permission to temporarily unload rice and committing to pay land rent, voluntarily dismantling when the state needs to use the land to consume rice for the people and bring revenue to the locality, but for a long time it has not been resolved. While the unit that occupied public land to rent to me as a wharf, illegally profiting about 2.5 billion VND has not been recovered for this amount, I have been continuously asked to dismantle conveyor equipment and assets on the land. I really hope the province will reconsider and create conditions for me to have a temporary wharf to soon export enough rice to Cambodia," Mr. Lam said.

Lamcofood Company's leaders have repeatedly sent petitions to the functional agencies of An Giang province "asking for help" to create conditions for temporary operation of the rice loading dock at Tinh Bien Border Gate Economic Zone, but they have not been resolved.

On November 28, the Office of the People's Committee of An Giang province issued a document conveying the opinion of Mr. Le Van Phuoc, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of this province, requesting the Management Board of An Giang Economic Zone to preside over the review and urgently coordinate with relevant units to organize work to support and thoroughly handle difficulties and problems in the process of rice export activities of Lamcofood Company under its authority, ensuring strictness and compliance with the provisions of law.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/doanh-nghiep-cau-cuu-chu-tich-tinh-an-giang-cho-thue-ben-bai-xuat-khau-50000-tan-gao-185231204164143727.htm