India has urged the countries with which it has free trade agreements (FTAs) to allow import of goods now without certificate of origin as domestic authorities are currently not issuing the document on account of the ongoing lockdown. Exporters have to submit that certificate at the landing port of the importing country to claim duty concessions under FTAs.

The certificate helps in checking dumping of cheap and sub-standard goods from a third country.

The request was notified in a trade notice by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) recently, according to a news agency.

“In view of these exceptional circumstances, the certificates would be issued retrospectively by the concerned Indian agencies after they open their offices. Therefore, in the interim period, the customs authorities and other competent authorities in the trading partners with whom India has a trade agreement may kindly allow the eligible imports under preferences on a retrospective basis subject to the subsequent production of the certificates of origin by the Indian exporters,” it said.

The notice said that India would also honour its preferential trade agreement imports, subject to the respective governments also making a formal request or putting up a notice in this regard for accepting these certificates on retrospective basis.

Under these trade agreements, two or more trading partners significantly reduce or eliminate import duties on maximum number of goods traded between them.

India has implemented such agreements with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)

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