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HAPAG LLOYD has issued a notification that they are implementing a Pick-Up Fee for Export General Purpose (GP) containers from specific Indian Inlands effective August 21, 2020. With recent global economic developments and the related consequences resulting in equipment deficit situations in some locations, this fee will be added and valid until further notice.
The provisions of the IMDG Code for the safe preparation, storage, handling and shipment of dangerous goods need to be strictly adhered to by all stakeholders. Stakeholders including ships, ports, shippers, stevedores and transport operators must comply with the codes to ensure no incidents occur while dealing with dangerous goods on-board ships.
CMA CGM Agencies India Pvt. Ltd. informs all the stakeholders that the Feeder Service - SSL VISAKHAPATNAM-108 ex Chennai sailed on 04th Aug 2020 shall be omitting Colombo call. Hence all the cargo meant for Colombo will be discharged at Next port of call Tuticorin ETA 7TH Aug 2020.
To propagate the handloom industry in India, Textile industry minister, Smriti Irani launches an App on National Handloom Day,
To propagate the handloom industry in India, Textile industry minister, Smriti Irani launches an App on National Handloom Day. The platform allows real-time tracking of applications. It has got user-friendly interface and simple procedure. It is a one-stop platform for information on all handloom schemes. The portal will be integrated with the DBT portal.
The Embassy of India in Cairo has informed India that the Egyptian NFSA has increased the sampling and testing frequency to the maximum limit for the Indian spices imported to Egypt. CODEX will determine the maximum limit of pesticide residue in crops to be permitted.
Implementation of the India Sea Cargo Manifest and Transhipment Regulations (SCMTR), will now be delayed until 30 September 2020 according to a statement issued by India’s Ministry of Finance. The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) had earlier clarified some of the requirements with regards to Sea Arrival Manifest (SAM) and Sea Departure Manifest (SDM)
Ocean Network Express [India] Private Limited sent a notification updating information on terminal and vessel status. Mumbai Vessel Traffic System has given a clearance for the channel movements a short while ago. The Power has been restored at the port area and operations will resume soon at Nhava Sheva terminals (excluding JNPCT). Their PS3 Service vessel ONE Commitment V.049 E is having a tentative berthing schedule on Aug 8th at GTI terminal.
Following the massive explosion in the Lebanese capital city of Beirut which killed more than 100 and injured over 4,000 residents, Chennai's customs authorities have begun safety checks on seized ammonium nitrate near North Chennai. According to sources, the Petroleum, Explosives, Safety Organisation (PESO) has been roped in safety checks as well.
RBI has issued a Statement on Developmental and Regulatory Policies to enhance liquidity support for financial markets and other stakeholders; further easing of financial stress caused by COVID-19 disruptions. This Statement sets out various developmental and regulatory policy measures to strengthening credit discipline; improve the flow of credit; deepen digital payments; augment customer safety in cheque payments, and facilitate innovation across the financial sector by leveraging on technology through an Innovation Hub.
The DGTR will conduct an oral hearing in Anti-Subsidy /countervailing duty investigation concerning imports of Styrene Butadiene Rubber from Korea RP. Due to the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting will be via digital video conference (DVC) on the 14th August 2020 at 04:30 PM (IST).
CHEMEXCIL sent a notification to their members informing them that e-invoicing will now be mandatory for registered person having turnover above INR 500 Crore with effect from October 1st, 2020, and SEZ units are excluded from e-invoicing.
The RBI has issued a notification that existing loans to MSMEs classified as 'standard' may be restructured without a downgrade in the asset classification, subject to certain conditions. According to that, the aggregate exposure, including non-fund based facilities, of banks and NBFCs to the borrower does not exceed ₹25 crores as on March 1, 2020. The borrower’s account was a ‘standard asset’ as on March 1, 2020.
The GOI has introduced benefits for In-Bond manufacturing scheme. According to this, warehouse to warehouse transfer will be permissible. It will include easy compliance. There will be no fixed export obligations.
The GOI authority has extended the time limit to complete the investigation on “Acetone” originating in or exported from Korea RP, Taiwan and Saudi Arabia, initiated on 7/8/2019. The investigation must be completed by 30th September 2020.
The GOI has issued a public notice informing all the exporters, importers, brokers and other stakeholders that faceless assessment for specified groups with Chennai, Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai I/II/III Customs zones has begun on 03.08.2020. The procedure to be followed in ICES remains the same as was followed in the pilots for faceless assessment.
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) is undergoing an overhaul, with many changes being introduced to respond to the challenges the Covid-19 pandemic has brought to the trade scene. “By the end of this year, we hope to complete the overhaul and many changes will be brought about to address the trade barriers and to ensure ease of doing business,” said Director General of Foreign Trade Amit Yadav.
Container lines are diverting from Beirut to Tripoli and other ports in the Med following the massive explosion at the Lebanese port, which has destroyed much of the infrastructure. Rescue efforts are continuing in Beirut following the huge blast at a warehouse in the port that is known to have caused 135 deaths and leftover 4,000 injured.
The central government has clarified that the supply of sugar by mills to refineries in Special Economic Zones (SEZ) will be considered to be export for certain benefits available to other mills. The benefits are under for Maximum Admissible Export Quantity (MAEQ) scheme for the current sugar season 2019-20, which was notified to facilitate exports and improve the liquidity of the sugar mills to help them pay for cane purchased from farmers.
The Union Ministry of Textiles quietly abolished the 28-year-old All India Handloom Board (AIHB) in the last week of July. Established in 1992 with the aim to advise the government in formulating policy for the overall development of the handloom sector, the AIHB played a vital role in safeguarding the interests of weavers and SMEs
The stand-off between labour and employers at the port of Montreal saw another strike disrupting container traffic. Frustrated by the situation, carriers have begun to redirect vessels to other ports. Following the end of consecutive strikes by longshoremen and port checkers, which halted operations at the port’s terminals last week, longshoremen began another 96-hour strike on Monday.
Gusty winds accompanied with heavy rain all through Wednesday and wreaked havoc at the JNPT. As many as three cranes collapsed and fell in the harbour. However, nobody was injured in the incident, said JNPT officials adding that port operation has been halted, owing to bad weather.
Pharmexcil is proposing to organize a Video Conference meet soon with Hon’ble Minister of Civil Aviation & Minister of State for Commerce & Industry Shri Hardeep Singh Puri. This meet will include all the stakeholders to discuss the specific recommendations for augmenting exports to Africa and also air cargo space and carriers required for the industry.
The Office Of The Commissioner Of Customs (Import) has issued a public notice with instructions for uploading documents in E-Sanchit for approval of AD Code/IFSC with Bank Account in ICES. The procedures to be followed and the documents to be submitted for the same are mentioned in the notice.
The Office Of The Commissioner Of Customs (Import) has issued a public notice with instructions for uploading documents in E-Sanchit for approval of AD Code/IFSC with Bank Account in ICES. The procedures to be followed and the documents to be submitted for the same are mentioned in the notice.
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) will rope in a consulting agency to scrutinise tenders of government procuring entities for compliance with public procurement regulations that aim at promoting 'Made in India' products. The DPIIT has floated a notice inviting request for proposal (RFP) from interested agencies. The government issued Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) Order, 2017 on June 15, 2017, to promote production of goods and services in India and enhance income and employment in the country.
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade will realign itself along the lines of Prime Minister’s Make in India and will push for production of items domestically to cut down imports. The organisation is focusing on creating more capacities within the country to produce items that can cut down imports and accelerate exports from the electronics and hardware sector, including ventilators.
State-run Container Corporation of India Ltd (Concor) has carried out an internal restructuring. This involved compressing eight regions into four and creating two exclusive wings dedicated to warehousing and first and last-mile connectivity as part of a strategy to rationalise operations. It was done so to better utilise human resources, cut costs and boost revenue.
In a bid to boost the freight traffic by Indian Railways, Western Railway has set up multidisciplinary Business Development Units (BDU) at Zonal Headquarters and its Divisional Units. The aim of setting up these BDUs is to improve business prospects in the freight market by incorporating new ideas and initiatives. As per the directives of the Railway Board, Western Rly has now come up with five new incentive schemes to attract freight transporters to tie up with Railways for transportation of their goods and parcels, in addition to earlier freight incentives.
With the moral of Surat’s a trade and industry already down due to poor demand, the SGCCI has taken up a task to boost the confidence of the entrepreneurs in Surat and south Gujarat region across all sectors. Known as the knowledge series, the SGCCI is posting ‘Letters of Confidence’ written by the trade and industry leaders to over 9,000 members to revitalize their confidence to fight the battle against Covid-19.
Given that 22 firms, both Indian and local, have applied to produce under its production-linked-incentive (PLI) scheme. They will produce goods worth Rs 11.5 lakh crore over five years, of which Rs. 7 lakh crore will be exported. It is not surprising the government is looking to see if this can be replicated across sectors. Indeed, one such scheme has already been notified to boost domestic production of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API)
The exports of all kinds of ventilators were prohibited according to the GOI. An amendment has been made to that policy and the ventilators can now be exported freely.
The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) is inviting suggestions online from the public on MyGov Innovate portal for review of existing Customs exemption notifications and Customs laws and procedures. CHEMEXCIL sent a reminder to all its members regarding the proposed crowdsourcing of suggestions for review of Customs duty exemption notifications. The last date to submit the suggestions is 21st August 2020.
Second Oral Hearing in Anti-Dumping Investigation concerning Imports of Phenol originating in or exported from South Africa will be held this month. It is scheduled for 14th August at 3:00 PM through Digital Video Conferencing.
The Union Cabinet had approved the ECLGS with a corpus of Rs. 41600 Crores as a specific response to the COVID-19 crisis. A few changes are suggested in the scheme. It is likely to expand the ambit of the ECLGS scheme which may make an additional Rs. 1 lakh crore eligible under the scheme.
Montreal port has been plunged into another strike. The Quebec port went through a fractious five-day strike over working conditions. The Longshoremen’s Union has since tabled another strike that started and will last through to early on Friday morning. German carrier Hapag-Lloyd advises that this week’s strike will affect only Termont Terminal. MGT Terminals will continue to work normally.
The eye of Hurricane Isaias made landfall on August 3, near Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. Isaias returned rather quickly from tropical storm status back to hurricane strength in the hours before coming ashore. The nearby Oak Island weather station measured a sustained wind of 76 mph, making Isaias a Category 1 hurricane. Isaias has weakened a bit and is back to a tropical storm.
Coast Guard Sector Maryland has set port condition, Zulu. Seagirt Port Terminal and Port America Chesapeake operations are closed. The nearby Oak Island weather station measured a sustained wind of 76 mph, making Isaias a Category 1 hurricane. Isaias has weakened a bit and is back to a tropical storm as reported by Port Baltimore.
In a sign of troubled trade relations with China, India’s export of cotton textile products to China has seen a whopping 74% decline to touch $90 million during the April-June quarter this year. China’s share in India’s total exports of cotton textile products has also halved to 6.9% during the quarter as against 14% in the corresponding quarter last fiscal. During Q1 last year, India’s export of cotton textiles to China stood at $346 million.
Given the economic distress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Finance Ministry unveiled an Rs. 20 Lakh Crore comprehensive package, known as the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS). This package is in aid of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) sector, addressing working capital needs, operational liabilities and restart business impacted due to the COVID-19 crisis. This scheme is available up to October 31st, 2020, or on reaching the threshold stipulated by the Government of India under the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS).
Post-COVID, a sharp drop in imports resulted in less number of vessels which in turn offered reduced space for the exporters who were finding situation challenging to meet up with export orders. HICT under Haldia Dock Complex (SMTP) proved to be a natural choice for Durgapur exporters who were looking for enhanced space available from bigger size feeder vessels as well as new service linkages even post COVID. Allied ICD, Durgapur, Concor, Shipping lines (MSC & Goodrich) & Freight forwarder (Vivek Freight & Logistics) came forward to commence first export containerized rail shipment movements connecting with Haldia Dock.
According to the AFP News, the Beirut blast resembles a post-nuclear landscape. Ships are ablaze at sea and the port was engulfed in fire.
The economic activities are reviving amidst the Covid era in India. There has been significant improvements in the country’s export.
Himadri Chemicals & Industries Ltd has filed an application before the DGFT for initiation of Anti-dumping investigation and imposition of anti-dumping duties on imports of Crude and Refined Naphthalene originating in or exported from China PR, European Union, Russia, Iran and Japan.
With the recent focus of Government of India to develop each district as the Export Hub, DGFT is playing a key role for preparation and implementation of District Export Plan. In view of this, the Council brings to you a Webinar on “District Export Plan- Importance and Way forward” to understand importance, process and role of Industry for District Export Plan.
The oral hearing in the Bilateral Safeguard Investigation concerning imports of the Polybutadiene Rubber from Korea RP has been rescheduled. What was to be held on 6th August at 3:00 PM is now postponed to the 20t August at 3:00 PM
The country's largest container handling port, JNPT, expects imports to get back to normal from the end of this month while exports have already picked up, seeing an increase in the shipments last month. The port has reported a 19 per cent spike in overall traffic to 4.07 million tonnes in July over June. The container traffic rose to 3,44,316 twenty-foot equivalent units during the same period, registering a growth of 19 per cent over June 2019.
Workers at the strategic Colombo Port called off their strike following a meeting with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. This happened a day after they demanded a "written pledge" from the Sri Lankan President that the country's largest port's Eastern Container Terminal would not be handed over to India. At least 23 trade unions launched the strike demanding the sale of the Eastern Container Terminal (ECT) to India be terminated, and its operations are taken over by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority.
Uncertainty looms over the export of basmati rice and tea to Iran as the Central Bank of Iran has slowed down the allocation of a currency against which Iranian traders were buying these commodities from India. Indian basmati rice exporters said they are not entering into a new contract with Iranian importers to avoid any payment-related problems.
The export of indigenously manufactured ventilators was approved by a group of ministers (GoM) on the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) at their 19th meeting. The Union health ministry made a statement. This decision has been communicated to the Director-General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) for further needed action to facilitate the export of indigenously manufactured ventilators. India now has the capacity to manufacture ventilators indigenously, allowing it to export the machines.
It has been over three years since the introduction of GST, and it’s been a roller coaster ride for all the stakeholders. There continue to be several areas of inconsistency between the GST law and the GST portal. To name a few, GSTN portal does not have a functionality to link multiple invoices with a single credit note, non-availability of date of filing of the GST returns by the vendor and more. However, GST policymakers have been very proactive in taking cognizance of the hardships faced by the industry and are committed to bringing about requisite amendments from time to time.
SOPA's quota proposal gets strong objections from SEA. India's rising edible oil imports has left the domestic industry in splits as two of the prominent trade bodies came face-to-face on quota suggestions.
Customs in coordination with CISF detected five passengers who were trying to smuggle out sandalwood and a total of 78.5 kg of sandalwood was seized from them at the Hyderabad airport. The sandalwood was being smuggled to Khartoum.
Workers at the strategic Colombo Port have stopped work in protest against the privatisation of its Eastern Container Terminal, demanding a written pledge from Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa that it would not be privatised by giving it to India. The move comes after the workers last month threatened to go on an indefinite strike to protest against what they called "Indian pressure" to prevent Sri Lanka from developing a deep-sea container terminal of the country's largest and busiest port.
The CGST and CX, Mumbai Zone has successfully launched e-office. This has been set up as an initiative by the CBIC to ensure transparency, efficiency and create a paperless environment in its offices.
As per the government mandate released, international commercial passenger flights will not be able to fly to or from India until 30th August 2020’s end of the day. This restriction will not apply to the international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by DGCA.
Air Cargo Complex (Sahar) has issued Public Notice informing that a large number of drawback Shipping Bills are lying in the queue and are pending for reply from the exporter for quite a long time. These cases pertain to queries raised due to some deficiency during the processing of their drawback claims. But the exporters have subsequently not come forward with their reply to their queries along with the requisite documents which would enable the processing of such claims.
The DGFT has issued a trade notice regarding issuance of CoO for India’s exports under ASEAN-India FTA. It is informed that w.e.f. 01.08.2020, the CoO applications for exports from India to Thailand under ASEAN-India FTA should be submitted through the e-COO Platform by the exporters to the designated issuing agencies i.e. EIA, MPEDA and Textile Committee. No physical/manual application for a CoO would need to be submitted from this date. However, manual applications submitted prior to the given date may be processed and CoOs issued by the designated agencies.
Exporters are finding it challenging to fulfil orders due to limited availability of containers and workers. India's rice export prices rose this week as the worsening Coronavirus crisis in the country caused logistical snags, while widespread flooding in Bangladesh severely damaged crops.
The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) notified the e-invoicing system for businesses with turnover above Rs 500 crore. This will come as a relief to small businesses as earlier the turnover threshold for mandatory issuing of electronic was Rs 100 crore. In its notification, the indirect tax department said that units in Special Economic Zones (SEZs) are not required to follow e-invoicing rules.
The GOI has reviewed the 1st phase of Faceless Assessment under the umbrella of the Turant Customs programme at Bengaluru and Chennai. After resolving few technical and administrative issues that arose, the Board has decided to begin the 2nd phase of All India roll-out of Faceless Assessment w.e.f. 03.08.2020. The board wants to start the phase by including Delhi and Mumbai Customs Zones and extending the scope of Faceless Assessment at Chennai and Bangalore Customs Zones. It is clarified that the Customs Zones and the imports already covered under the 1st Phase would continue and be treated as subsumed under the 2nd phase.
In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Ludhiana Customs has started What’s App helpline for the exporters, importers, Custom Brokers, and other stakeholders to address grievances and problems related to the export and import of the consignments. The helpline will work 24/7 and it will be monitored by officers on a rotational basis.
The Directorate of Cashew Research (DCR) at Puttur in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka has developed the ‘Cashew India’ app for farmers and other stakeholders of cashew in India. Available in 11 languages, the app can be downloaded from Google Play Store.
The government has imposed safeguard duty on solar cells for one more year until July 2021 to protect domestic manufacturers and discourage cheap imports from countries like China. The move followed a recommendation by the Commerce Ministry’s investigation arm Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) for the continued imposition of the duty for one more year.
Virtual events have become buzzword after the outbreak of COVID- 19 and the leather sector, which was badly affected due to the lockdown and cancellation of export orders, is utilising the online platform to attract global customers. The industry has witnessed a significant recovery in June and they are expecting that these virtual events will further lead to its revival. The Council for Leather Exports (CLE) is organising virtual leather fairs, exhibitions and B2Bmeetings in different countries with the support of Indian Embassies. So far, the virtual fairs have been organised in Korea and Vietnam and soon events will be held in Russia and Peru.
The Northern Regional Office of ECGC LTD. has moved their location. The office in New Delhi now has a new address.
CHEMEXCIL has reported on social media that it is important for Exporters to partner with someone that is familiar with the local business culture. They say that developing a market-entry strategy means finding the best methods of delivering and distributing the goods at the right time in the market.
There will be an Engine Train trail run between New Palanpur to Durai 342.5 km off Palanpur-Rewari Section. This will help all the Gujarat based ports to have a cheaper and wider hinterland.
Civilian aviation access is a matter of reciprocal bilateral arrangements. Hong Kong is not allowing flights from Hong Kong to certain places including India. Air India has applied for permission with the authorities.
To address the queries of the Importers and Exporters about Customs Clearances through international terminals at Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai, the ECCS Trade Helpdesk has been set up.
The GOI has reviewed the 1st phase of Faceless Assessment under the umbrella of the Turant Customs programme at Bengaluru and Chennai. After resolving few technical and administrative issues that arose, the Board has decided to begin the 2nd phase of All India roll-out of Faceless Assessment w.e.f. 03.08.2020. The board wants to start the phase by including Delhi and Mumbai Customs Zones and extending the scope of Faceless Assessment at Chennai and Bangalore Customs Zones. It is clarified that the Customs Zones and the imports already covered under the 1st Phase would continue and be treated as subsumed under the 2nd phase.
The GOI has issued a notification about the procedure and criteria for submission and approval of the application for the export of 2-3 ply surgical masks. Up to Four crore units of masks are allowed to be exported for the month of August 2020. Manufacturers and Merchant exporters may both apply online on DGFT’s ECOM platform for authorization. Only those applications filed between 5th and 8th August will be considered. The validity of the export license will be for 3 months only.
The GOI has issued a notification about the procedure and criteria for submission and approval of the application for the export of diagnostic kits. Only Manufacturers may apply online on DGFT’s ECOM platform for authorization. Only those applications filed between 5th and 8th August will be considered. The validity of the export license will be for 3 months only.
The GOI has issued a notification about the amendments in the import policy of the colour television sets. The said product cannot be freely imported into the country as it is restricted. Special permission and authorizations will be required for the same.
The GOI has issued a notification about the procedure and criteria for submission and approval of the application for the export of Medical Goggles. Up to 20 lakh units of goggles are allowed to be exported in one month. Manufacturers and Merchant exporters may both apply online on DGFT’s ECOM platform for authorization. Only those applications filed between 5th and 8th August will be considered. The validity of the export license will be for 3 months only.
The GOI has issued a notice for the oral hearing in the Bilateral safeguard investigation concerning the import of Phthalic Anhydride into India from Korea. It has been arranged for 7th August and it will be a digital video conference held at 2:00 PM IST.
The GOI has issued a notice for the oral hearing in the Bilateral safeguard investigation concerning the import of Polybutadiene Rubber into India from Korea. It has been arranged for 7th August and it will be a digital video conference held at 3:00 PM IST.
The GOI has issued a notice for the second oral hearing in the Mid-Term Review to review the product scope of the definitive anti-dumping duty imposed on certain glass fibre originating or imported from The China PR. It has been arranged for 7th August and it will be a digital video conference held at 4:30 PM IST.
The APEX man-made fibre textile council appeals to the GOI to restore and continue MEIS until RODTEP is implemented. The online MEIS module has been blocked on July 23, from accepting new application for shipping bills with LEO dated April 1 onwards to limit the issuance of any more scrips. The said OM also conveyed that MEIS scrips worth Rs 422.4 crore have already been issued to exporters for shipping bills with the “let export order” (LEO) since April 1.
The Tamil Nadu government announced the extension of general lockdown till August 31. Interstate and intrastate public and private bus transport are not allowed. The government would implement intense lockdown in the state on all Sundays of August without any relaxations.
Commerce and industry minister, Piyush Goyal said the key incentive scheme for exports Merchandise Export from India Scheme (MEIS) is not going anywhere and that it is a cash flow issue for which the government will find a solution that does not impact exports. The Govt. is in dialogue with the requisite authorities.
Cargo handlers using India’s minor ports enjoy significant competitive advantages over major landlord ports, including unregulated tariffs, fewer government controls, and relatively modern infrastructure. COVID-19 deals a hard blow to India’s private ports.
The JNCH has issued a public notice inviting the crowd to propose suggestions for review of existing Customs duty exemption notifications. Crowdsourcing of suggestions for review of Customs laws and procedures are invited to make suggestions on the Mygov Innovate Portal online.
After a long period of civil war which ended in 1996, Guatemala is progressing on the path of economic reconstruction. The trade relations between India and Guatemala are on the upswing. The trade between the two countries stands at around USD 300 million. Recently an EEPC delegation of 20 Indian companies visited Guatemala and held several B2B meetings, which was organized by the Indian Embassy. Since Central America is close to the US, these countries have become good destinations for investment in IT.
EPCG scheme allows import of capital goods for pre-production, production and post-production for 0% customs duty. The objective is to facilitate the import of capital goods and services and enhancing India’s manufacturing competitiveness. It is a great opportunity for exporters of electronic goods.
The incident at one of the sheds at the Foyle Port has led to the fire and the authorities are aware of the same. The fire at Londonderry's Foyle Port has been declared a major incident by Northern Ireland Fire Service. The Fire Service was alerted to the blaze shortly before 11 AM sending 12 appliances and 46 firefighters to the scene, including high reach aerial appliances and a command support vehicle.
The FIEO in collaboration with the Embassy of India in Oman has organised a virtual B2B meet with buyers and importers in Oman. The online meet will be held on 12th August 2020 and registrations are necessary for the same. Medical and surgical equipment, Ceramics, Construction, Electrical machinery, Agri and allied products, and building material are the focussed sectors of the meeting.
The Plexconcil has issued a circular to the members informing them about the list issued by the RMTR Division. According to that, there are 320 products wherein India’s import shares from FTA countries are less than 50%. Members are requested to refer to the list and let know if there are any difficulties in importing these products from FTA countries.
An investigation was imposed in regards to anti-dumping duty on Digital Offset Printing Plates originating in, or exported from China PR, Japan, Korea RP, Taiwan and Vietnam to India. In the preliminary findings of the investigation, the designated authority has suggested imposition of the anti-dumping duty charges for the same. It has concluded that there is a substantial increase in imports causing material injury to the domestic industry.
In the matter of review of safeguard duty on imports of the Solar Cells whether or not assembled in modules or panels, the designated authority has submitted its final findings. It has recommended continued imposition of the safeguard duty on imports of the subject goods, to remove injury to the domestic industry.
An investigation was imposed in regards to anti-dumping duty on Aniline or Aniline oil originating in, or exported from China PR to India. The designated authority has suggested imposition of the anti-dumping duty charges for the same. It has concluded that there is a substantial increase in imports causing material injury to the domestic industry.
If India’s foreign trade in goods and services have in recent quarters been a continuous drag on the gross domestic product (GDP), the pull-down effect could be far stronger in the current fiscal. By capping the outlay for the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) at Rs 9,000 crore for the April-December period, the revenue department has deprived exporters of over two-thirds of the duty remission benefits they are entitled to. The move could also have wider implications for exporters of assorted goods as the denial of the benefit will suffice to blunt the already-narrow edge they enjoy in key markets over competitors.
DP World and National Investment & Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) joint venture along with Hindustan Infralog (HIPL) has announced an investment of Rs 1000 crore in developing its Nhava Sheva Business Park (NSBP) Free Trade Zone (FTZ) in Mumbai. NSBP, a special purpose vehicle, is a co-developer for the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) SEZ. The company signed a lease agreement with JNPT for the project. The FTZ is on a long-term lease of 60 years and is located 5 km away from JNPT.
To overcome the Covid-19 headwinds faced by exporters in reaching out to offshore markets, the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to promote virtual exhibitions (e-exhibitions) during the current fiscal year 2020-21. The transnational Covid-19 safety and health protocols are likely to result in the deferment and postponement of international trade fairs and exhibitions. Hence, the Adityanath government will provide financial aid to exporters participating in such virtual exhibitions under the flagship Market Development Assistance (MDA) Scheme.
By shifting its focus on cultivation and effectively handholding farmers, the country can be among the top-five exporters of agro commodities, according to a report by the World Trade Centre. The report comes at a time when the government has announced some reforms in the farm sector by allowing farmers to sell products outside the regulated APMC markets. This along with the relaxation of the Essential Commodities Act, among others, can help boost exports.
The guidelines for Unlock 3 phase of Lockdown to contain the spread of the COVID-19 are now issued. The activities permitted and prohibited in the containment zones of the country are mentioned. It also mentions the guidelines to be followed concerning the Independence Day functions as well.
The government has begun an exercise to identify exemptions under the customs duty law that need to be weeded out. It has sought suggestions from industry and other stakeholders on phasing out exemptions and simplifying customs procedures. The crowdsourcing exercise, which is not limited to only a few notifications or sectors will go on till August 21.
FedEx pilots have called on the express company to suspend services to Hong Kong as a result of unacceptable risks related to the Covid-19 outbreak. The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) has passed a resolution calling on their company to suspend operations in Hong Kong after pilots were forced into hospitals and government camps as a result of Covid-19. The union claimed that three Covid-19 positive asymptomatic FedEx pilots have been forced into mandated hospital facilities for up to 10 days in Hong Kong.
The Directorate General of Systems, CBIC has now enabled a functionality within ICEGATE login which allows the exporters to make an online request for registration/modification of their AD Code / Bank Account(s) and also electronically submit the required documents through E-Sanchit. The JNCH has issued a public notice with instructions for uploading documents in E-Sanchit for approval of AD Code/IFSC with Bank Account in ICES.
Tension prevailed at Yellapuvanipalem when the fire broke out at gateway container yard near Sheela Nagar. The fire broke out in two containers of sodium fluoride solution at CFS container yard. Around noon, the fire services department got a call and two fire tenders were rushed from Peda Gantyada. A major accident was averted as the fire was brought under control. Property worth Rs 8 lakh was damaged due to fire as per the yard officials.
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