The government of India on Monday banned the export of face shields and all kinds of medical coveralls amending the export policy for personal protection equipment (PPE) and masks.
However, Indian manufacturers got green light to export PPE in May.
As per a Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) notification, from now on PPE exports are prohibited either as part of kits or individual items as medical coveralls, medical goggles, masks other than non-surgical/non-medical ones, nitrile/NBR gloves, and face shields.
But, it has allowed the export of non-surgical/non-medical masks made up of rayon, nylon, and polyester, viscose fabrics in woven, blended and knitted form in addition to masks made up of cotton, silk and woolen.
“All other items are freely exportable,” DGFT said in the notification.
On the other side, Indian apparel export industry body AEPC urged the government to lift the exports ban of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits as its production has reached 8 lakh units per day.
According to APEC, domestic exporters are able play a key role in the global market for PPEs estimating the market to be more than $60 billion over the next five years.
