Portal to address non-tariff issues within 2-3 months: Commerce ministry

Non-tariffs measures on trade rise

The ministry of commerce and industry will have a portal ready to address non-tariff issues within the next two-three months, the additional secretary, department of commerce, said on July 19.

“We are monitoring through a committee and coming up with a portal on sanitary and phytosanitary and technical barriers to trade issues,” Rajesh Agrawal said.

“We will try to get all exporters who raise concerns. There is a task force looking at resolution strategy and a portal will monitor efforts,” he noted.

According to an UNCTAD study, the trade costs of non tariff measures are more than double of tariff measures.

Agrawal noted that as trade increases, such kinds of measures are expected to increase.

Certain countries had imposed restrictions on some of the products of Indian spice companies after they had found that levels of ethylene oxide exceeded their limits.

India’s Spice Board has created a standard operating procedure in consultation with the companies to address such concerns.

India needs to standardise more and come out with more regulations to catch up with increasing imposition of non-tariff measures, he said.

“India is already doing this for the domestic and international market,” Agrawal noted, highlighting that the country has been increasingly taking steps to address issues of trade.

He cited example of sesame seeds, where a standard operating procedure has led to rejections becoming negligible.

India has issued over 400 notifications in technical barriers to trade since 1995, half of which have come in the last five years itself.

“As the economy matures such measures increase,” he added.