Do Importers Need to Hire Professional Agents?

Common Difficulties for Shanghai Traders in Importing Malaysian Palm Oil

In March 2026,Ms.Deng from a food trading company in Shanghai received an order for 120 tons of Malaysian palm oil,with the other party requiring customs clearance and delivery within 45 days.However,Ms.Deng’s team had only engaged in domestic trade before and had almost no knowledge of the palm oil import process: "At first I thought a freight forwarder could handle it,but we even got the format of the certificate of origin wrong,almost delaying the delivery."

Malaysian palm oil is among the top 5 oil products imported by Shanghai.In 2026,due to fluctuations in global production,the import tariff quota was adjusted to 1.8 million tons,and "genetically modified ingredient testing" was added to the quarantine requirements.Many first-time importers often get stuck in two links: first,the documents do not meet the requirements of Announcement No.12 of 2025 issued by the General Administration of Customs of China,and second,the palm oil is temporarily detained during commodity inspection due to excessive acid value.

Core Pain Points of Palm Oil Import

• Complex document requirements: 6 types of core documents such as the Certificate of Origin issued by the Malaysian Palm Oil Association (MPOA),Animal and Plant Quarantine Approval Form (AQSIQ),and GM testing report are required.The certificate of origin must be marked with "non-GMO",otherwise customs clearance cannot be completed;
• Strict quarantine process: The entry port requires two links of "sensory inspection + laboratory testing",and the acid value must be lower than 0.2mgKOH/g.If it exceeds the standard,re-sampling is required,and a single link may cause a delay of 7-10 days;
• Frequent changes in tariff policies: A 5% preferential tariff rate is applied to Malaysian palm oil in 2026,but it must meet the "direct transport" rule.Transshipment via Singapore will make the preferential tariff inapplicable.

Core Role of Zhongshen in Palm Oil Import

Ms.Deng later contacted Manager Yan from Zhongshen,who completed the pre-audit of documents in only 3 days and also coordinated with the commodity inspection department of Shanghai Pudong Airport Port in advance."Manager Yan helped us add the ’non-GMO’ mark on the MPOA certificate of origin and handled the AQSIQ approval urgently.Finally,the customs clearance only took 4 days,11 days ahead of the original plan."

Zhongshen has been engaged in foreign trade agency for more than 20 years,and has established a system of "preliminary document pre-audit + dedicated port liaison + optimized commodity inspection process" for the characteristics of palm oil import.Its core functions are as follows: accurately meeting compliance requirements to avoid document inconsistencies; coordinating with commodity inspection laboratories to shorten the testing cycle; tracking tariff policies in real time to help customers enjoy the optimal tax rate.

Disassembly of the Whole Process of Palm Oil Import: Details of Zhongshen’s Assistance

1.Document Pre-audit Stage: Avoid Core Risks in Advance

Three types of documents should be focused on in the pre-audit of palm oil import documents:

• Animal and Plant Quarantine Approval Form (AQSIQ): It needs to be applied for 15 days before shipment,with a validity period of 6 months.Zhongshen checks the consistency of "product name" and "place of origin" with the bill of lading in advance,and has helped 18 customers avoid order returns due to expired approval in 2026;
• MPOA Certificate of Origin: It must be marked with "NON-GMO" and signed by an authorized official.Zhongshen cooperates with agents in Malaysia and can complete the correction within 24 hours;
• GM Testing Report: It must be issued by a laboratory accredited by the Certification and Accreditation Administration of China (CNCA).Zhongshen confirms the qualification in advance to avoid the report being returned as invalid.

2.Port Customs Declaration Stage: Optimize the Tariff Declaration Process

The preferential tariff rate for Malaysian palm oil is 5% in 2026,but it must meet the "direct transport" rule - for transshipment via a third country,a "unprocessed certificate" issued by the customs of the transshipment country is required.Zhongshen’s customs declaration team reviews the information of "port of loading" and "port of transshipment" on the bill of lading in advance.If transshipment is found,they will immediately contact the agent to handle the certificate,preventing customers from paying tax at the 10% MFN tariff rate.

In addition,Zhongshen is connected with the customs systems of Shanghai Yangshan Port and Pudong Airport,realizing "electronic declaration + simultaneous submission of paper documents",shortening the customs clearance time by 40% compared with the industry average.

3.Commodity Inspection Stage: Coordinate with Laboratories to Shorten the Testing Cycle

Palm oil commodity inspection requires testing of acid value,peroxide value,aflatoxin B1,etc.with acid value as the key monitoring item.Zhongshen has established a "priority testing channel" with the laboratory of Shanghai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau,shortening the testing cycle from 7 days to 3 days.In 2025,a customer’s palm oil had an acid value of 0.18mgKOH/g which met the standard,and Zhongshen obtained the qualification certificate on the same day,avoiding port detention of the goods.

Comparison of Efficiency and Risk Before and After Zhongshen’s Service

Core Value of Importers Choosing Agents

In Shanghai’s import trade in 2026,68% of small and medium-sized traders choose to entrust professional agents.Mr.Zuo from Zhongshen said: "The compliance requirements for palm oil are adjusted every year,and self-operation is easy to fall into pitfalls.GM testing requirements were added in 2025,and many customers had their goods detained because they did not prepare in advance."

The value of professional agents is not only "process handling",but also "pre-emptive risk avoidance": Zhongshen regularly updates the palm oil import policy database,and pushes notifications of tariff adjustments and changes in quarantine standards every month; it provides "import compliance training" for new customers to help them understand the filling specifications of core documents.

After completing the first palm oil import,Ms.Deng’s company has signed an annual agency agreement with Zhongshen: "Previously,self-operation wasted time and we were worried about fines.Now we leave it to Zhongshen,and we focus on downstream sales,which is much more efficient."