Update: Melamine check eased in Vietnam

The Department of Husbandry earlier this week asked customs to allow
importers to take delivery of their shipments immediately after samples are
taken for testing.

Importers had to wait 10-15 days until the samples
were tested before they could get their shipments ever since the
melamine-tainted milk scandal broke out in China last year. The department has
also asked customs officers to check only eight items that are at high risk of
melamine contamination instead of all products as was being done earlier. But
businesses still have to wait for the test results to come before using or
selling the products, the department warned.

Nguyen Xuan Duong, its
deputy director, said it would take importers at most three days to get their
consignments now. Businesses complained that the delays had worsened in the last
month after they increased imports to take advantage of falling global prices.
Le Ba Lich, the chairman of the Vietnam Animal Feed Association, said
“mountains” of feed and feed materials are stuck at Hai Phong Port pending test
results.

Nguyen Huu Loi, director of Vic Company, said his company still
has 4,000 tons of materials at the port. Lich said the delays cost US$100 a day
per container, adding that port authorities could also fine businesses
$5,000-10,000 daily for it.