The Singapore Customs TradeNet will undergo extended system maintenance April 24 4 a.m. to noon local time, it said April 8. Singapore Customs advises users to avoid submitting applications during this time. This is in addition to the usual 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. Sunday maintenance.

Singapore launched a trial period for the Traders' Self-Declaration Sandbox, which will allow traders to declare TradeNet permits for goods imported into or exported out of Singapore, Singapore Customs announced April 11. Under the program, only certain types of permits will be allowed to be submitted, including In-Payment GST, In-Non-Payment Approved Premises / Schemes and Out Direct. Permits for strategic and dutiable goods including tobacco and liquor cannot be declared this way.

Japan will reduce planned imports of butter by 20% for FY 2022, the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service said in an April 11 report. The country now plans to import just 7,600 metric tons for the fiscal year that began April 1, compared with the 9,500 metric tons it imported in 2021. The import reduction is “largely” due to the COVID-19 pandemic, USDA said, which has reduced demand for fresh dairy products.

Imports of rice and dried tobacco leaves from Cambodia may enter Vietnam under tariff quotas for 2021 and 2022, the state-run CustomsNews said April 10. The TRQ for rice is 300,000 tonnes per year and the TRQ for dried tobacco leaves is 3,000 tonnes per year. To get the special rate under the quota, traders must have a certificate of origin Form S issued by the Cambodian Ministry of Trade or authorized agency, and they must be cleared at certain border gates, the report said. The TRQ preferential tax rate is good from April 15 through the end of 2022.

India's Directorate General of Foreign Trade added new features to its Scrip Transfer Recording Module following notices that certain fraudulent scrip transfers occurred on the platform. The changes include a time-lag for the transfer of scrip from the original owner to the transferee, a time-lag for scrip transfer from one entity to another, a limit on the number of scrip transfers that can be started for transfer or accepted by each Import Export Code holder per day, and email and text notifications to IEC holders at certain points. Further, the original duty scrip holder is now required to register the duty credit scrip at the Port of Registration with Customs, the DGFT said.

China’s customs agency recently issued an updated version of certain parts of its free trade agreement with New Zealand, according to an unofficial translation of an April 2 notice. The notice includes updated provisions on determining the origin of imported and exported goods, information on tariff classifications and more. The updated provisions took effect April 7.

China recently announced import restrictions on “cloven-hoofed animals” from South Africa due to reported cases of foot-and-mouth disease in the country, according to an unofficial translation of an April 1 China customs notice. China will destroy all imported “cloven-hoofed animals and related products,” including cattle, that were shipped after April 1, and shipments sent before the April 1 date will be subject to “enhanced quarantine,” the notice said. Violators may face customs penalties, China said.

Vietnam's Cao Bang Customs plans to build a "green zone" to help prevent and control COVID-19 for import and export activities, the state-run CustomsNews reported April 4. To set up the green zone, Cao Bang Customs will regularly perform COVID-19 tests, ensure closed management of staff at the Ta Lung Border Gate, disinfect imported and exported goods, and implement a freight forwarding plan and disinfection for vehicles carrying imports and exports.

Singapore Customs updated its publication "New Requirements for the Declaration of Goods For Processing" that was issued in December 2016. The updates include "further clarifications on goods related to processing activities in Singapore (inward processing)" and more FAQs on goods for processing, it said in an April 1 notice.

India extended by one year the period that urea imports can be brought in through the India Potash Limited trade program, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade said in an April 1 notification. The new end date for the import policy is March 31, 2023.