Import/Export Industry Notifications

The Shipping Ministry has asked the 12 major ports to implement its April 21 advisory in “letter and spirit” and ensure that no penal charges are levied from port users during the lockdown period, plus 30 days recovery time. The move follows complaints from port users that the Ministry directive was being ignored by some of the major ports and private terminals operating therein.

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Border trade between India and Bangadesh through the Mahadipur land port in Malda came to a halt for four hours. This was followed by allegations of delay in the installation of a power generator and acts of corruption levelled by the Mahadipur Exporters’ Association and Mahadipur Clearing & Forwarding Agents’ association. The trade resumed at noon after customs officials assured the exporters lobby of looking into their grievances. Sunday’s suspension of the border trade was a consequence of the events that took place when only 50 per cent of the goods-laden trucks could cross the border because of power cut between 10am and 4pm.

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A major reason for the overall decline in imports is the drop in oil and oil products imports, which have plunged by a whopping 55.9% to $19.6 billion. There are two reasons for the same. First is the fall in oil prices between last year and now. The price of Indian basket of crude oil between April and July 2019, averaged at around $66.8 per barrel. The average price this year has been around half of the 2019 figure at $33.6 per barrel. The lack of mobility due to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic has led to the consumption of petroleum products coming down by 22.50% between April and July.

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India has initiated an anti-dumping investigation on imports of Vitamin C from China on the basis of a complaint by Bajaj Healthcare Limited to the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR). Bajaj Healthcare LTD. Have alleged that dumping is leading to a decline in its market share, profits, return on capital employed and cash profits, and causing material injury to the domestic industry. There is sufficient prima facie evidence of injury being caused to the domestic industry by dumped imports of subject goods from the subject country.

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Canada ports. The volume of stranded cargo at the ports and the continued volumes received as new ships are worked. The rail car supply has been disrupted due to the strike at Montreal. The terminals are not operating a first-in-first-out (FIFO) system because they do not have the terminal space available to shift containers around.

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India will roll out nationwide faceless assessment for imports beginning October 31, which will be expanded across all ports by the year end. The move follows pilot projects conducted by the customs department in Chennai and Bengaluru from June, which were extended to Delhi and Mumbai last month. Board has decided to roll out the Faceless Assessment at an all India level in all ports of import and for all imported goods by October 31, 2020.

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The garment and apparel exporters in Gautam Budh Nagar district are not a happy lot in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak. Not only have their production and orders gone down by over 40%, but several client companies overseas have also filed for bankruptcy, thereby putting at risk the payment of collective outstanding dues of over ₹250 crore. After the outbreak of Covid19, around 600 garment export units have been closed and the units in Noida suffered a collective loss of over ₹3,000 crore. The pandemic was sudden, and the industry was caught unawares. Orders had already been shipped to overseas buyers and, instead of accepting them, the buyers are bargaining with Indian exporters saying since their companies have been declared bankrupt, there is no legal obligation on them to make payments.

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Paper and paperboard imports have gone up nearly 10 per cent in 2019-20 to 1,637.3 tonnes from 1,478.2 tonnes. Over the last nine years, it has grown nearly 1,100 per cent. The share of paper imports from ASEAN in total paper imports for India has risen more than four times from about 5 per cent in 2010-11 to about 21 per cent in 2019-20. Ever since ASEAN-India FTA came into force from January 2010 and basic customs duties were progressively reduced to nil in India, imports of paper and paperboard from ASEAN, especially writing and printing paper, have increased at a great pace.

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At the end of a week of stoppages, the Chilean truckers' strike is of even greater concern to the productive sector, especially food supply chains, due to the absolute lack of any prospect for an agreement or even a definition of the problem. Blocking access to ports may continue to cause problems for fruit exports, as there are ships that are due to set sail this week.

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