Decision 140/TTg

Decision No.140-TTg of March 7, 1997 of the Prime Minister on policies and measures for the management of food and fertilizer business.

On the consumption of commodity rice: The Presidents of the provincial People�s Committees shall take responsibility before the Prime Minister for directing units of various economic sectors to use self-procured capital sources to buy commodity rice in their localities for processing in service of domestic consumption and export. Organizations or individuals that meet the prescribed conditions and have their food business registered shall be entitled to buy, process, transport and trade in food to serve the domestic consumption. State enterprises with food business function shall have to play the main role in the purchase of commodity rice, processing, transport and business. There are now no permits needed for and no control of food transport inside the country; and no tax on food trading consignments between regions.

On rice export: The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall propose the volume of rice for annual export to the Government for decision. The rice export quotas shall be assigned once at the beginning of the year to the provincial People�s Committees and a number of central enterprises. The Prime Minister shall ratify lists and rice export quotas for provinces and a number of central enterprises. Enterprises tasked with rice export shall have to organize the purchase of rice directly at localities or through a system of rice purchase agents; and shall not be allowed to buy, sell or assign rice export quotas in any form.

On fertilizer import and trading: The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall propose types and volume of fertilizer for annual import in service of agriculture to the Government for decision. The Prime Minister shall ratify lists and annual fertilizer import quotas for provinces and a number of central enterprises. The fertilizer import quotas shall be assigned in one time right at the beginning of the year. Enterprises assigned to import fertilizer shall not be allowed to trade, transfer the fertilizer import quotas in any form; they must not sell fertilizer on board the ship or at ports and must organize a system of sale agents to be registered in provinces or sell fertilizer through a system of sale agents organized and managed by the provincial People�s Committees.- (Summary)