Indian Government finally has allowed the export of PPE medical coveralls after imposing bans on export last week, however set a limit of 5 million PPE per month.
Earlier, Indian apparel export industry body AEPC urged the government to lift the exports ban of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has issued two notifications in this regard on Monday. It also comes at a time when other countries are looking for alternatives to China for essential medical products and India is looking for more new markets.
As per the notification, PPE medical coveralls for Covidppe-19 (Serial no. 207 A and HS codes 392690, 621790, 630790, 901890) are now allowed to export.
Applications for export of ‘PPE Medical Coveralls for COVID-19’ filled only on the first to third day of each month will be considered for that month’s quota. And approval / allocation will be made within the 10th of each month.
Exporters can apply online for export approval through DGFT’s ECOM system and the validity of the export license is only for 3 months.
It further adds that the firm should be a manufacturer and is required to obtain a certificate from a chartered engineer that the fabric used in the PPE treatment material is made in India.
Dr. A. Sakthivel, Chairman, Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC), thanked the Government for this and said that this opened up the entire world market to domestic players who were quick enough to seize this opportunity to produce and supply PPE kits as the world struggled to control the coronavirus.
India is now in competition with countries like Bangladesh, Indonesia and Pakistan, as they have lifted the ban on PPE exports and are receiving ‘huge’ orders from major buyers in the United States and Europe.
India is producing about 8 lakh PPEs every day and has huge potential for it. Over the past 2 months, the industry has been repeatedly demanding permission to export PPE.
