In the first half of October alone, 15,000 tonnes were transported to China through the gate, earning VND35 billion.

Currently, a kilo of fresh cassava costs VND1,650 and a kilo of dried cassava is priced at VND4,950.

This year, the Lao Cai provincial Department of Customs has streamlined procedures to facilitate the export of fresh and dried cassava. It takes businesses less than an hour to have their customs procedures cleared.

The department has granted certificates of origin (C/O) to more than 120,000 tonnes of cassava exported to China.

“We give top priority to seasonal farm products, including cassava”, says Tran Vu Hoang, head of the Customs Service of Lao Cai international border gate. “We offer incentives to export businesses in terms of transport, parking lots and customs clearance.”

Cassava is mostly harvested in Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Phu Tho and Lai Chau provinces and sold to Chinese businesses for food and industrial alcohol processing.