GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY
(DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE)

RAJYA SABHA
STARRED QUESTION NO. 277 (H)
TO BE ANSWERED ON 21st MARCH,2018
IMPORT RESTRICTIONS BY EU AND THE US
*277(H). SHRI SURENDRA SINGH NAGAR:
Will the Minister of COMMERCE & INDUSTRY be pleased to state:
(a) the details of import ban imposed by the European Union countries and the US on
Indian products, on the basis of phytosanitary regulations and other non-tariff
restrictions during last three years;
(b) the total volume of export opportunities lost by India due to the above;
(c) whether India is also utilising phytosanitary regulations and other non-tariff restrictions
to protect the interests of Indian consumers and Indian economy; and
(d) if so, the details of products, the imports of which have been blocked in India on the
basis of phytosanitary regulations and other non-tariff restrictions during the last three
years?
 
 

ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
(SHRI SURESH PRABHU)

a) to d): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.
*****

STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF RAJYA SABHA
STARRED QUESTION NO. 277(H)
FOR ANSWER ON 21st MARCH, 2018
REGARDING “IMPORT RESTRICTIONS BY EU AND THE US”.
 

(a): As per available information, no ban has been imposed by US in the last three years.
EU had imposed a temporary ban on importation of mango and four other vegetables viz. brinjal,
snake gourd, bitter gourd and taro leaves. The ban was imposed on the ground of interception of
high number of harmful pests and organisms in the consignments exported to EU. However,
through efforts made by India, the bans were revoked.
The details regarding ban imposition and revocation are given in the following Table:
Name of fruits and vegetables
Mango
four vegetables (brinjal, snake gourd,
bitter gourd and taro leaves)

Ban imposed by EU
1st May 2014
1st May 2014

Ban revoked by EU
5th Feb 2015
31st Dec 2016

(b): The export of a product depends on numerous factors such as supply and demand of the
products, ease of export to a country, sanitary and phyto-sanitary requirements of importing country,
inflation rate, currency exchange rates etc. It is therefore not feasible to calculate the total export
opportunities lost by India on account of import restrictions by EU and US based on phyto-sanitary
regulations.

(c): Sanitary and Phyto Sanitary Agreement under the WTO recognizes Member States’ right to
adopt or develop sanitary and phyto-sanitary measures necessary to protect human, animal or plant
life or health. Such measures should be based as far as possible on the basis of objective and accurate
scientific data with the aim to protect human, animal or plant life or health. As a member of WTO, all
sanitary and phyto-sanitary measures developed by India are based on aforementioned conditions.
(d): In accordance with the WTO framework, India has in the last 3 years suspended imports of the
following on the basis of interception of quarantine pests in the imported consignments:
i.
ii.

Coffee beans, Bamboo, Black Pepper, Cinnamon, Cassia and Dragon fruit from Vietnam
Apples, Pears and Tagetes Seeds from People’s Republic of China
****** 

 

 


GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY
(DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE)

RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2881
TO BE ANSWERED ON 21st MARCH,2018
EXPORT OF SPECIAL VARIETIES OF RICE FROM TAMIL NADU
2881. DR. V. MAITREYAN:
Will the Minister of COMMERCE & INDUSTRY  be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Central Government has considered and included the special varieties of

rice cultivated in Tamil Nadu for export promotion on the lines of Basmati rice;
(b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
(c) what steps have been taken by Government to facilitate the export of special varieties
of rice from Tamil Nadu; and
(d) if so, the action taken thereon?
 

ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
(SHRI C. R. CHAUDHARY)
 

(a) to (d): The promotion of exports of agricultural commodities like rice is a continuous
process. The Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development
Authority (APEDA), an autonomous organisation under the administrative control
of the Department of Commerce, has the mandate to promote exports of
agricultural & processed food products, including rice. APEDA provides
assistance to the exporters of agricultural and processed food products, including
rice, under various component of its scheme “Agriculture & Processed Food
Export Promotion Scheme of APEDA” viz. Infrastructure Development, Quality
Development and Market Development. Assistance is also provided to
exporters/state governments under various other schemes of Department of
Commerce viz. Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme (TIES), Market Access
Initiative (MAI) Scheme etc.
Assistance  under  the  above  schemes  is  available  to  all  the  exporters  of 
agricultural products including rice exporters from Tamil Nadu. 
 
****** 
 

 


GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY
(DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE)

RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2883
TO BE ANSWERED ON 21st MARCH,2018
REDUCTION OF SUBSIDIES TO FARMERS
2883. SHRI RAVI PRAKASH VERMA:
SHRI NEERAJ SHEKHAR:
Will the Minister of COMMERCE & INDUSTRY  be pleased to state:
(a) whether Government has agreed under pressure from the World Trade Organisation
(WTO) to reduce the subsidies provided by Government to farmers below 10 per cent
of gross agricultural production;
(b) if so, the details thereof and reasons for compromise with the interest of farmers and
food security of the country; and
(c) if not, the year-wise details of subsidies provided by Government during the last three
years in percentage of gross agriculture production?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
(SHRI C. R. CHAUDHARY)
 

a) No, Sir.
b) Does not arise in view of (a) above.
c) The relevant rules of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) categorise all
agricultural support measures broadly into those that distort trade and those that

have no or minimal trade-distorting effect. There are limits on the amount of
trade-distorting support that can be provided. Agricultural support measures that
have no or minimal trade-distorting effect can be freely used. The rules applicable
to most developing countries allow for product-specific trade distorting support
upto 10% (‘de minimis’) of the value of production of the product. Similarly,
total trade-distorting support, which is not specific to any product, can be
provided upto a limit of 10% of the total value of agricultural production. India
has always kept its trade-distorting support within the applicable limits. Further,
India has been providing input subsidies and non-trade-distorting agricultural
support, where the limits do not apply.
**** 

 


GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY
(DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE)

RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2886
TO BE ANSWERED ON 21st MARCH,2018
IMPACT OF GST ON INDIA'S EXPORT PERFORMANCE
2886. SHRI K.K. RAGESH:
Will the Minister of COMMERCE & INDUSTRY  be pleased to state:
(a) whether Government has conducted any studies to ascertain the impact of GST on
India's export performance;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether any measures have been taken to address the adverse impacts, if any; and
(d) if so, the details thereof?

 

ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
(SHRI C. R. CHAUDHARY)
 

(a) & (b) : Government has not conducted any study to ascertain the impact of GST on export. India’s
export is impacted by several factors both endogenous and exogenous including structural, fiscal and
monetary (exchange rate) factors. Export data post-GST given below shows that monthly exports are
consistently higher than corresponding period of previous year except in Oct 2017. Post-GST (July 2017
– January 2018) the growth rate of India’s export is 11.3% compared to the same period of previous year:
 

Monthly Exports post-GST (US$ Billion)
Months
July
August
September
October
November
December
January
Total

Merchandise Export
20162017%
17
18
chg

Services Export
2016- 2017%
17
18
chg

21.69 22.35
21.60 23.52
22.77 28.73
23.36 22.82
20.07 25.92
24.06 27.07
22.36 24.96
155.90 175.36

12.78 13.18
13.38 13.70
13.77 13.73
13.11 14.15
13.34 15.39
13.80 16.01
13.57 16.34
93.75 102.50

3.0
8.9
26.2
-2.3
29.2

12.5
11.6
12.5

Overall Export
20162017%
17
18
chg

3.2 34.47 35.53
2.4 34.98 37.22
-0.3 36.54 42.46
7.9 36.47 36.97
15.4 33.40 41.32
15.9 37.86 43.07
20.4 35.93 41.30
9.3 249.65 277.86

3.1
6.4
16.2
1.4
23.7
13.8
14.9
11.3


(c)&(d): Implementation of Goods and Services Tax has been widely welcomed by the trade and

industry. Though there have been some initial problems in implementation, Government has
been very responsive in addressing those in time. A series of measures have been announced to
mitigate the issues faced by exporters. The relief package for exporters in October 2017 included
exemption of IGST for sourcing inputs both on import as well as domestic supplies under
Advance Authorization Scheme, Export Promotion Capital Goods Scheme and 100% Export
Oriented Unit Scheme. The 26th Meeting of the GST Council on 10.03.2018 has decided to
further extend the IGST exemptions till 1.10.2018 on the above schemes. Exports have been
allowed on furnishing of Legal Undertaking (LUT) without the requirement of Bond/bank
guarantee. Further, GST on sale of Duty Credit Scrips (which are basically incentives on exports)
has been reduced to Zero from the earlier rate of 12%. GST on job work in textiles sector,
diamond processing in Jewellery sector and leather and footwear sectors has been brought down
to 5%. The Government has also taken measures and issued instructions to expeditiously
disburse the refund of IGST paid on goods exported. Besides, GST council is meeting at regular
intervals to address concerns of industry regarding various issues related to GST including
rationalisation of GST rates, simplification in filing of GST returns, expediting the process of
refunds of Integrated GST and Input Tax Credit for exporters.

*******
 

 


GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY
(DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE)

RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2887
TO BE ANSWERED ON 21st MARCH,2018

GRANT OF LOAN AGAINST FORGED DOCUMENTS BY PEC LIMITED
2887. DR. K.V.P. RAMACHANDRA RAO:
Will the Minister of COMMERCE & INDUSTRY  be pleased to state:
(a) whether it is a fact that the Project Equipment Corporation (PEC) Ltd. has granted a
huge loan against forged land documents pledging entire village in Ranga Reddy
district of Telangana, if so, the details thereof;
(b) what are the primary duties of PEC and how the PEC is sanctioning huge amounts of
loan without verifying the authenticity of documents; and
(c) whether Government has any control over the PEC and how Government is planning to
recover the loan?
 

ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
(SHRI C. R. CHAUDHARY)
 
(a)         No, Sir. PEC Limited has not granted any loan against forged land documents.
However, in one of the business transactions, security was provided by one of the
business associates by mortgaging property against previous outstanding dues
caused due to non-fulfilment of export contracts of Iron Ore from Goa. The mortgage
covers village land in Ranga Reddy (East) district of Telangana. The party had
provided the Title deeds, due diligence report and valuation certificate. PEC had also
registered mortgage property in favour of PEC with Sub Registrar of Ranga Reddy
(East) district. The title of the land mortgaged has recently been revealed to be
defective.
 
(b)         PEC was created in 1971 with a mandate to handle the canalised business of railway
equipment, engineering equipment and turnkey projects. In the post liberalisation
period, with de-canalization of commodities PEC changed its course of business by
adopting different business models and diversified into other areas like international

trade (import and export) of industrial raw material, agro commodities, etc.
PEC
performs the business in association with private parties or Public Sector
Undertakings on back to back Associate ship Agreement basis after taking due
diligence. PEC at present has stopped financing for trade.


 
(c)             PEC is a Central Public Sector Undertaking under the administrative control of
Ministry of Commerce and Industry and works with functional autonomy. The Board
of PEC, at present, have two Government Directors. The Department of Commerce
signs a MoU with the PEC every year and the performance of the CPSE is reviewed
against the MoU targets. Department of Commerce has directed PEC to make all
efforts to expedite recovery of outstanding from the defaulters.PEC Limited has taken
appropriate civil and criminal action to recover the outstanding from the party
including filing cases under 138 Negotiable Instruments Act and reference to CBI.  
 
********
 

 


GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY
(DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE)

RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2888
TO BE ANSWERED ON 21st MARCH,2018

DERIVING ADVANTAGES FROM THE IMPACTS OF WTO POLICIES
2888. SHRI MANISH GUPTA
Will the Minister of COMMERCE & INDUSTRY  be pleased to state:
(a) whether India has been able to derive any decisive advantages from the impacts of the
World Trade Organisation (WTO) policies, if so, the details thereof; and
(b) whether there is any serious conflict in the WTO between rich and developing countries
in respect of retention of subsidies and resisting opening of the markets of the former; if
so, the details thereof
 

ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
(SHRI C. R. CHAUDHARY)
 
a)

The  WTO  rules  have  been  framed  and  adopted  through  a  process  of  consensus.  India,  like  many  other 
developing countries, joined the consensus after ensuring that its trade interests would be protected. The 
trade  rules  of  the  WTO,  its  dispute  settlement  mechanism  and  methods  of  decision‐making  provide 
stability and predictability to the global trading system. As a developing country, India has been able to 
get  the  benefit  of  various  special  and  differential  treatment  provisions  in  the  WTO  Agreements.  These 
special  provisions  include,  for  example,  longer  time  periods  for  implementing  Agreements  and 
commitments or measures to increase trading opportunities for developing countries. The opening in the 
global markets has helped Indian trade both in goods and services. 

b) There are differences in the positions of the developed and developing countries on various issues under 
negotiation in the WTO. For example, in the agriculture negotiations, while developed countries are now 
focusing on gaining more market access for their exports, developing countries have been calling for the 
elimination of the large agricultural subsidies provided by developed countries, which was one of the key 
objectives  of  the  negotiations.  Further,  exports  from  developing  countries  also  face  various  non‐tariff 

barriers in developed country markets.  
***** 
 
 
 
 
 


GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY
(DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE)

RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2889
TO BE ANSWERED ON 21st MARCH,2018
WTO'S AGENDA FOR RESOURCE POOR FARMING FAMILIES
2889. SHRI MANISH GUPTA:
Will the Minister of COMMERCE & INDUSTRY  be pleased to state:
(a) whether the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has any visible agenda for the resourcepoor farming families;
(b) whether the WTO Agreement requires India to pay more attention to quality, value
addition and the sustainability aspects of its agriculture, if so, the details thereof; and
(c) whether there is a mismatch between production and post-harvest technologies and lack
of infrastructure for handling perishable commodities affecting India's exports?
 

ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
(SHRI C. R. CHAUDHARY)
 

(a) Special and differential treatment provisions are available for developing countries
across the agreements of the World Trade Organization (WTO), which, inter-alia, are
intended to safeguard the interests of low income or resource-poor farmers in
developing countries. In terms of the provisions of the WTO Agreement on Agriculture,
input and investment subsidies can be provided without any limit to low-income,
resource-poor farmers in developing countries.
(b) : The WTO rules regarding sanitary and phytosanitary measures allow countries to
adopt or enforce measures necessary to protect human, animal and plant life or health
subject to the requirement that these measures are not applied in a manner which would
constitute a means of arbitrary or unjustifiable discrimination between WTO members or
a disguised restriction on international trade. Such provisions encourage WTO members
to improve their farming methods and the manner in which they use various inputs such
as chemicals and pesticides.
(c) : Exports of agricultural products depend on a number of factors including the
availability and quality of production and post-harvest technology and infrastructure. All
such factors are taken into account while framing agricultural trade policy.
***** 


GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY
(DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE)

RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2890
TO BE ANSWERED ON 21st MARCH,2018

MERGER OF COMMODITY BOARDS
2890. SHRI KAPIL SIBAL:

Will the Minister of COMMERCE & INDUSTRY  be pleased to state:
(a) whether it is a fact that Government is planning to merge Commodity Boards, if so, the
details thereof;
(b) the details regarding last merger of such kind which took place, along with the outcome
of that merger;
(c) whether this merger has been proposed to Government, if so, the details thereof; and
(d) whether this merger would help these organisations, if so, the details thereof along with
any study which Government has done regarding the same?
 

ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
(SHRI C. R. CHAUDHARY)
 

(a) & (b):
(c) & (d):

No Sir. There is no proposal under consideration for merging of Commodity Boards
and neither any such merger has taken place.
Does not arise.
*******

 

 


GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY

(DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE)

RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2892
TO BE ANSWERED ON 21st MARCH,2018

ASSESSMENT OF PRODUCTION CAPACITY OF SEZs
2892. SHRIMATI SASIKALA PUSHPA:
Will the Minister of COMMERCE & INDUSTRY  be pleased to state:
(a) whether Government has made any assessment regarding the production capacity,
employment generation, expansion of economic activity, earning of foreign exchange,
etc. of various Special Economic Zones (SEZs) that have been set up in the country;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether it is also a fact that many developers/promoter of Special Economic Zones
(SEZs) are seeking concessions one after another from Government; and
(d) if so, the details thereof?
 

ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
(SHRI C. R. CHAUDHARY)
 

(a) and (b):  Sir,  as  per  Section  12(2)(c)  of  the  SEZs  Act,  2005  the  Development  Commissioner  of  SEZ  is 
required to monitor the performance of SEZ developers and units in a SEZ.  Rule 12(6) & 22(3) of the SEZ Rules, 
2006 provide that Developer shall submit quarterly and half yearly returns to the Development Commissioner in 
respect of total area proposed for development, details of import of procurement of goods, details of consumption 
of goods imported or procured and details of goods held in stock etc.  Rule 22(3) of the SEZ Rules provides that the 
Unit shall submit Annual Performance Report to the Development Commissioner in respect of FOB value of export 
for  the  year,  details  of  import  of  raw  material,  capital  goods and  other  inputs,  outflow  of  foreign  exchange  and 

sales  in  the  Domestic  Tariff  Area  (DTA)  etc.    The  details  of  export,  employment  and  investment  relating  to 
operational SEZs during the last three years are as under: 
Year 
2015‐2016
2016‐2017
2017‐2018
(as on 30.09.2017) 
* Calculated on cumulative basis. 
 

(c) and (d): 

Export
(Rs. Crores) 
4,67,337
5,23,637
2,66,773

Employment*
(in persons) 
15,91,381
17,31,641
18,23,451

Investment* 
(Rs. Crores) 
3,76,494 
4,23,189 
4,48,832 

No Sir. 
 
***** 

 


GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY
(DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE)

RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2893
TO BE ANSWERED ON 21st MARCH,2018
CHANGE IN SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE RULES
2893. SHRI MOHD. ALI KHAN:
Will the Minister of COMMERCE & INDUSTRY  be pleased to state:
(a) whether it is a fact that Government is planning to change the Special Economic Zone
Rules, if so, the details thereof;
(b) whether Government has constituted any Panel for suggesting modifications in the
existing rules;
(c) if so, the details thereof including the details of the Panel; and
(d) whether the Panel has submitted its recommendations?
 

ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
(SHRI C. R. CHAUDHARY)
 

(a):

Yes Sir.

(b) and (c):
A Committee under the chairmanship of Development Commissioner, Noida
Special Economic Zone was constituted. The other members of the Committee were
Development Commissioner, Kandla Special Economic Zone, Development Commissioner,
MEPZ Special Economic Zone and Joint Development Commissioner, SEEPZ Special
Economic Zone.
(d):

The Committee has submitted its recommendations on 31.10.2017.

 
***** 
 

 


GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY
(DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE)

RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2894
TO BE ANSWERED ON 21st MARCH,2018
MEP FOR EXPORT OF ONION
2894. SHRI K.R. ARJUNAN:

Will the Minister of COMMERCE & INDUSTRY  be pleased to state:
(a) whether it is a fact that Government had fixed the Minimum Export Price (MEP) for
export of onion at US dollars 850 per tonne;
(b) whether it is also a fact that the rate was applicable on shipment of this commodity till
January, 2018;
(c) whether Government is considering to extend the above stipulation further because of
increasing trend of onion price; and
(d) if so, the details thereof?
 

ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
(SHRI C. R. CHAUDHARY)
 

(a): Yes Sir.
(b) : The Minimum Export Price (MEP) of US$ 850 per metric ton was imposed w.e.f.
23.11.2017.The MEP on Onion was applicable till 18.01.2018.
(c) & (d) : No, Sir. The Government reviewed the price situation and reduced the MEP
from USD 850 PMT to USD 700 PMT w.e.f. 19.01.2018. Later, with decreasing trend in
prices of onion in domestic market, the Government removed the MEP for export of
onion w.e.f. 02.02.2018.
.
*****
 

 


GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY
(DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE)

RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2895
TO BE ANSWERED ON 21st MARCH,2018
ISSUES FACED BY EXPORTERS DUE TO GST
2895. SHRIMATI JAYA BACHCHAN:
Will the Minister of COMMERCE & INDUSTRY  be pleased to state:
(a) whether Government has taken note of the issues faced by exporters due to GST, if so,
the reasons therefor; and
(b) what steps Government has taken to address the issues and revive exports, the details
thereof?
 

ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
(SHRI C. R. CHAUDHARY)
 
(a) & (b):

Yes Sir, Implementation of Goods and Services Tax has been widely

welcomed by the trade and industry. However, there have been some initial difficulties
and Government has taken note of the issues faced by exporters.
The major issues include working capital blockage due to the process of upfront
payment of GST, filing of returns, GST rates on job work and refund of Integrated GST
and Input Tax Credit (ITC), high rates of GST on certain items and other Information
Technology related issues. The Government addressed these issues through
announcement of a relief package for exporters in October 2017. Benefits under the

Advance Authorization Scheme, Export Promotion Capital Goods Scheme and 100%
Export Oriented Unit Scheme were extended for sourcing inputs from abroad without
payment of IGST apart from Customs Duty. The 26th Meeting of the GST Council on
10.03.2018 has decided to further extend the tax exemptions till 1.10.2018. Exports have
been allowed on furnishing of Letter of Undertaking (LUT), without the requirement of
Bond/bank guarantee. Further, GST on sale of Duty Credit Scrips (which are basically
incentive on exports) has been reduced to Zero from the earlier rate of 12%. GST on job
work in textiles sector, diamond processing in Jewellery sector and leather and footwear
sectors has been brought down to 5%. The Government has also taken measures and
issued instructions to expeditiously disburse the refund of IGST paid on goods and


services exported. Besides, GST council is meeting at regular intervals of time to
address the concerns of industry regarding various issues related to GST including
rationalisation of GST rates, simplification in filing of GST returns, expediting the process
of refunds of Integrated GST and Input Tax Credit for exporters.
During the current year, monthly exports are consistently higher than the monthly
exports of previous year except in Oct 2017. Post-GST (July 2017 – January 2018) the
growth rate of India’s Export is 11.3% compared to the same period of previous year.
Monthly exports data post- GST is as under:-

Monthly Exports post-GST (US$ Billion)
Months
July
August
September
October
November
December
January

Total

Merchandise Export
20162017%
17
18
chg

Services Export
2016- 2017%
17
18
chg

21.69 22.35
21.60 23.52
22.77 28.73
23.36 22.82
20.07 25.92
24.06 27.07
22.36 24.96
155.90 175.36

12.78 13.18
13.38 13.70
13.77 13.73
13.11 14.15
13.34 15.39
13.80 16.01
13.57 16.34

93.75 102.50

3.0
8.9
26.2
-2.3
29.2
12.5
11.6
12.5

*******
 

 

Overall Export
20162017%
17
18
chg

3.2 34.47 35.53
2.4 34.98 37.22
-0.3 36.54 42.46
7.9 36.47 36.97
15.4 33.40 41.32
15.9 37.86 43.07
20.4 35.93 41.30
9.3 249.65 277.86

3.1
6.4
16.2
1.4
23.7
13.8
14.9
11.3


GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY
(DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE)

RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2896
TO BE ANSWERED ON 21st MARCH,2018
MID-TERM REVIEW OF FOREIGN TRADE POLICY
2896. SHRI BHUBANESWAR KALITA:
Will the Minister of COMMERCE & INDUSTRY  be pleased to state:
(a) whether Government has conducted mid-term review of Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) if
so, the details thereof;
(b) whether the review reflects the GST related changes for exporters;
(c) whether adequate provisions have been made for refund of taxes paid on transactions;
and
(d) if so, the details thereof, and whether the provisions have been made to the satisfaction
of the exporters?
 

ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
(SHRI C. R. CHAUDHARY)
 
(a) &  (b)    The  Mid‐Term  Review  of  Foreign  Trade  Policy  (FTP)  2015‐20  was  announced  on 
5.12.2017. Highlights of the policy are as under: 

MEIS (Merchandise Exports from India Scheme) was increased by 2% to MSMEs /
labour intensive industries involving an additional outlay of Rs.7310 crore that includes
Rs. 2743 crore incentives for two sub-sectors of Textiles i.e. ready made garments and
made-ups on which MEIS was raised from 2% to 4%. Similarly, the SEIS (Service
Export from India Scheme) incentive rate was increased by 2% for all notified services
such as Business, Legal, Accounting, Architectural, Engineering, Educational, Hospital,
Hotels and Restaurants amounting to Rs. 1140 crore.
The validity period of the Duty Credit Scrips was increased from 18 months to 24 months
to enhance their utility in the GST framework. GST rate for transfer/sale of scrips was
reduced to zero from the earlier rate of 12%.
A new trust based Self Ratification Scheme was introduced to allow duty free inputs for
export production under duty exemption scheme for the Authorized Economic Operators
(AEOs).


A new Logistics Division has been created in the Commerce Department to develop and
coordinate implementation of an Action Plan for the integrated development of the
logistics sector, by way of policy changes, improvement in existing procedures,
identification of bottlenecks and gaps and introduction of technology in this sector.
Issue of working capital blockage of the exporters due to upfront payment of GST on
inputs has also been addressed. Exemption of IGST was allowed to schemes like the
Advance Authorization Scheme, Export Promotion Capital Goods Scheme and 100%
Export Oriented Unit Scheme for sourcing inputs from abroad apart from Customs Duty.

The 26th meeting of the GST Council held on 10th March 2018 has further extended these
benefits till 01.10.2018.
(c) & (d) Implementation of GST Tax has been widely welcomed by the trade and
industry. Though there have been some initial problems faced by the companies in filing
of returns and obtaining refunds. The Government has been responsive in expediting
refunds and clear backlog. The Government has addressed these issues through
announcement of a relief package for exporters in October 2017 in which it was
announced that refunds would be handled expeditiously. It was also decided to suitably
empower Central and the State GST officers so that exporters get refund from one
authority only. Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) has organized an All India
“Refund Fortnight” from 15th to 29th March 2018 with the results being monitored daily.
Outreach programmes and print advertisements, workshops across the country are being
held to educate exporters to file error free returns and submit refund applications to tax
authorities. CBEC has initiated system level changes required for IGST refund. In cases
where the mismatch in amount of IGST paid as filed in GST returns and Shiping bill was
less than Rs 100, it has been decided to sanction the refund. Where the correction is not
possible at the end of exporters and it becomes necessary for manual intervention by the
custom officer, the amendment in Rule 96 of the CGST rules 2017 has been done vide
notification no 3/2018-Central tax dated 23.01.2018. Further, in case of refund of IGSTinvoice mismatch cases, an alternate mechanism with officers interface has been
developed and circulated vide circular no 5/2018-Cus dated 23.02.2018.
*****
 

 


GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY
(DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE)

RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2898
TO BE ANSWERED ON 21st MARCH,2018

STEPS TO BOOST EXPORT OF SPICES
2898. SHRI RAJKUMAR DHOOT
Will the Minister of COMMERCE & INDUSTRY  be pleased to state:
(a) the details of item-wise total quantum of spices exported from the country during the
last three years, yearwise and countries to which they were exported;
(b) the details of foreign exchange earned therefrom during the said period;
(c) what efforts are being made by Government and the Spices Board to boost the export of
spices from the country; and
(d) what steps Government proposes to take to promote production of spices in the country,
particularly in Maharashtra?
 

ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
(SHRI C. R. CHAUDHARY)
 

(a) &(b): The total quantity and value of export of spices from the country during the last three
years is given below. Details are given in the ANNEXURE.
Year 
2014‐15 
2015‐16 
2016‐17(*) 
(*) Provisional 

Quantity 

(MT) 
893920 
843255 
947790 

Value 
(Rs.Lakhs) 
1489967.53 
1623822.60 
1766460.65 

Value 
(Million US$) 
2432.85 
2482.83 
2633.30 

(c) Government is implementing various programmes through Spices Board to boost export of
spices from the country which inter-alia includes development of infrastructure for common
processing facilities in Spices Parks, product development & research for exporters, study of
markets abroad, setting up of Quality Evaluation Laboratories to ensure the quality of spices
exported from the country for meeting quality specifications of consuming countries, assistance
to farmers for post-harvest quality improvement in spices,trade promotion activities including


participation in international fairs, promotion of Indian spice brands, conducting training
programmes for the stakeholders in Good Agricultural Practices etc.
(d)  The  mandate  for  the  production  and  development  of  spices  other  than  Cardamom  vests  with  the 
Ministry  of  Agriculture  &  Farmers  Welfare  (MoA&FW).  Several  programmes  are  implemented  by 
MoA&FW  for  increasing  production,  productivity  and  quality  of  spices  in  the  country  including 

Maharashtra  under  the  Mission  for  Integrated  Development  of  Horticulture  (MIDH).  The  major 
interventions  include  area  expansion,rejuvenation  /replanting  of  old  and  senile  crops,  production  and 
distribution of quality planting materials, Integrated Pest and Disease Management, Integrated Nutrient 
Management,  Organic farming, Mechanization, Integrated Post‐harvest Management, Development of 
market  yards,  Technology  dissemination  through  frontline  demonstration,  Human  Resource 
Development  etc.  In  Maharashtra,  these  programmes  are  implemented  through  State  Agriculture 
Universities. 

To boost production of cardamom (small and large) in the country, under the Integrated Scheme
for Export Promotion & Quality Improvement in Spices and Research & Development of
Cardamom implemented by Spices Board various programmes for production of quality
planting materials, replanting of old and uneconomic gardens, new planting, irrigation
development, improved curing facilities, farm mechanization, etc. are taken up.
 
*** 
 

 

 
 
 

 


MAJOR ITEM-WISE / COUNTRY-WISE EXPORT OF SPICES FROM INDIA

 

 

2014-15 

 

MAJOR ITEM/COUNTRY
 

 

2015-16 

 

QTY 

VALUE

VALUE

(MT) 

(RS.LAKHS)

(MIL.US$)

 

 

VALUE 

(MT) (RS.LAKHS)

(MIL.US$) 

 

PEPPER 

201617(P)   

 

VALUE

QTY

ANNEXURE

 

QTY

VALUE

VALUE

(MT) (RS.LAKHS)

(MIL.US$)

 

U.S.A 

9683.99 

54465.30

88.93

10740.47

65961.15

100.85 

9700.00

58200.00

86.76

U.K 

2098.21 

11765.76

19.21

2160.86

14904.33

22.79 

1875.63

11495.14

17.14

GERMANY 

1584.90 

9468.09

15.46

2504.90

14456.83

22.10 

965.47

7905.81

11.79

SWEDEN 

880.62 

6452.33

10.54

649.88

4748.80

7.26 

1034.26

7804.79

11.63

JAPAN 

617.98 

4737.60

7.74

697.47

5086.22

7.78 

815.64

6517.07

9.72

1201.61 

5952.47

9.72

1566.44

10027.14

15.33 

528.70

4203.32

6.27

U.A.E 

180.70 

936.90

1.53

663.31

3982.42

6.09 

792.21

4010.12

5.98

CANADA 

458.11 

2454.74

4.01

589.64

3677.50

5.62 

354.41

2487.37

3.71

AUSTRALIA 

362.50 

2236.15

3.65

480.91

3373.68

5.16 

300.59

1873.82

2.79

FRANCE 

167.56 

1412.17

2.31

430.97

3262.85

4.99 

396.53

1868.01

2.78

SPAIN 

305.72 

1153.93

1.88

449.82

2204.10

3.37 

240.24

1496.24

2.23

46.00 

243.04

0.40

251.40

1422.66

2.18 

224.00

1474.65

2.20

21450.00 

120842.16

197.31

28100.00

173041.50

264.58 

17600.00

114312.50

170.41

NETHERLANDS 

TURKEY 
TOTAL(INCL.OTHERS)
CARDAM0M(SMALL)
SAUDI ARABIA 
U.A.E 
KUWAIT 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2800.00 

23745.00

38.77

3968.59

31918.39

48.80 

2500.00

27469.50

40.95

422.00 

3930.68

6.42

492.93

4571.05

6.99 

494.24

5720.39

8.53

86.00 

762.46

1.24

198.00

1539.96

2.35 

152.75

1670.83

2.49


U.S.A 

43.00 

375.47

0.61

118.93

1274.57

1.95 

95.85

929.36

1.39

JAPAN 

36.00 

407.28

0.67

70.07

831.10

1.27 

55.21

622.62

0.93

3795.00 

32346.75

52.82

5500.00

44982.75

68.78 

3850.00

42150.00

62.83

TOTAL(INCL.OTHERS)
CARDAMOM(LARGE)
PAKISTAN 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

471.14 

5633.31

9.20

370.02

4999.26

7.64 

601.38

5981.69

8.92

U.A.E 

42.99 

475.07

0.78

64.03

720.01

1.10 

31.00

289.05

0.43

U.K 

54.16 

673.64

1.10

71.91

663.09

1.01 

81.85

777.34

1.16

6.73 

105.51

0.17

23.20

312.14

0.48 

25.11

350.24

0.52

665.00 

8403.90

13.72

600.00

7332.50

11.21 

780.00

8265.50

12.32

U.S.A 
TOTAL(INCL.OTHERS)


MAJOR ITEM/COUNTRY-WISE EXPORT OF SPICES FROM INDIA 

 

 

 
QTY 

MAJOR ITEM/COUNTRY
CHILLI 

2014-15

 

 

VALUE

 

 
VALUE

 

2015-16
QTY

 

 

 

 
VALUE 

VALUE

 

 

 

2016-17(P)
QTY

 

 

VALUE

 

VALUE

 

VIETNAM 

51829.10 

63537.42

103.74

58842.62

78559.98

120.12 

70012.51

95929.40

143.00

THAILAND 

47703.06 

45184.38

73.78

59916.14

70671.43

108.06 

60008.77

96101.18

143.26

SRI LANKA 

49900.51 

38783.78

63.33

46508.50

50120.24

76.63 

51392.56

52053.02

77.60

MALAYSIA 

33868.09 

38144.86

62.28

30994.31

40031.33

61.21 

28791.87

44187.47

65.87

U.S.A 

23109.12 

31652.51

51.68

24074.47

37846.45

57.87 

20792.36

39172.20

58.39

U.A.E 

18049.71 

12774.48

20.86

33786.07

23689.53

36.22 

38318.37

28636.36

42.69

INDONESIA 

17479.58 

15545.03

25.38

19855.60

22115.91

33.82 

33393.85

40934.35

61.02

MEXICO 

13280.30 

16377.14

26.74

10588.70

14719.16

22.51 

13105.64

20309.50

30.28

5053.62 

6825.68

11.15

6694.74

8714.88

13.33 

6829.83

10302.88

15.36

41916.79 

32977.11

53.85

14426.43

5614.20

8.58 

39685.52

32720.04

48.78

SINGAPORE 

3826.15 

4274.90

6.98

3432.36

4314.95

6.60 

3277.36

5086.01

7.58

NEPAL 

6327.72 

4384.13

7.16

5167.96

4143.29

6.34 

8812.20

7042.87

10.50

SAUDI ARABIA 

4091.13 

3559.05

5.81

2017.01

2829.59

4.33 

2426.70

3416.21

5.09

QATAR 

1965.70 

1532.94

2.50

3571.49

2696.30

4.12 

3364.55

3564.58

5.31

CANADA 

1313.34 

1760.85

2.88

1471.75

2267.06

3.47 

1463.72

2634.63

3.93

CHINA 

2378.34 

2469.37

4.03

2029.35

2211.42

3.38 

2399.90

2723.48

4.06

AUSTRALIA 

1294.84 

1719.61

2.81

1356.77

2136.23

3.27 

1587.35

2861.85

4.27

OMAN 

2031.39 

1501.69

2.45

2226.85

2071.60

3.17 

1843.84

2298.30

3.43

U.K 
BANGLADESH 


SOUTH AFRICA 
TOTAL(INCL.OTHERS)
GINGER 

2881.12 

3252.30

5.31

1483.85

2034.59

3.11 

2022.64

3540.41

5.28

347000.00 

351710.00

574.28

347500.00

393170.00

601.16 

400250.00

507075.00

755.90

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SPAIN 

2109.63 

4854.04

7.93

2325.00

4449.67

6.80 

2680.17

3911.68

5.83

U.S.A 

1137.86 

2673.02

4.36

1891.21

4792.63

7.33 

1289.27

3149.37

4.69

18261.44 

4054.49

6.62

10466.93

1878.38

2.87 

11350.00

3146.47

4.69

MOROCCO 

405.35 

793.81

1.30

784.78

1426.09

2.18 

1664.00

2373.74

3.54

U.K 

598.43 

1230.66

2.01

746.07

1712.06

2.62 

643.71

1410.78

2.10

1457.52 

2293.56

3.74

1116.36

2097.34

3.21 

941.64

1325.44

1.98

GERMANY 

401.89 

1230.50

2.01

263.08

805.64

1.23 

523.45

1298.67

1.94

NETHERLANDS 

200.62 

476.86

0.78

463.43

1117.00

1.71 

357.07

862.65

1.29

EGYPT(A.R.E) 

442.03 

580.99

0.95

483.00

695.21

1.06 

735.90

836.14

1.25

1616.53 

2203.94

3.60

554.27

882.47

1.35 

566.04

688.62

1.03

40400.00 

33133.00

54.10

24800.00

27062.00

41.38 

24950.00

25705.00

38.32

BANGLADESH 

SAUDI ARABIA 

U.A.E 
TOTAL(INCL.OTHERS)


MAJOR ITEM/COUNTRY-WISE EXPORT OF SPICES FROM INDIA 

 

 

 
QTY 

MAJOR ITEM/COUNTRY
TURMERIC 

2014-15

 

 

VALUE

 

 
VALUE

 

2015-16
QTY

 

 

 

 
VALUE 

VALUE

 

 

 

2016-17(P)
QTY

 

 

VALUE

 

VALUE

 

IRAN 

10319.00 

7280.96

11.89

13141.09

11975.44

18.31 

14862.40

13575.50

20.24

U.S.A 

4717.80 

6064.87

9.90

5543.95

9388.53

14.36 

6830.39

11410.39

17.01

BANGLADESH 

7283.06 

5045.09

8.24

4802.80

2478.43

3.79 

12772.51

10464.78

15.60

U.A.E 

7264.29 

5148.07

8.41

5905.65

5298.46

8.10 

8195.76

7646.26

11.40

MALAYSIA 

5913.48 

5222.30

8.53

6375.79

6593.10

10.08 

6249.37

6408.74

9.55

U.K 

3566.93 

3358.02

5.48

3935.00

4410.65

6.74 

3892.94

5473.00

8.16

SAUDI ARABIA 

3413.09 

2996.65

4.89

4105.28

4196.04

6.42 

5257.16

5036.65

7.51

SOUTH AFRICA 

2514.93 

2293.83

3.75

2228.69

2444.97

3.74 

5257.16

5036.65

7.51

MOROCCO 

3002.50 

2087.50

3.41

2294.14

2027.27

3.10 

5271.30

4655.87

6.94

SRI LANKA 

4838.38 

3485.05

5.69

4634.09

4337.24

6.63 

4758.18

4482.59

6.68

GERMANY 

1993.40 

2159.42

3.53

2450.90

3145.06

4.81 

2838.15

4231.07

6.31

SPAIN 

3176.40 

2259.76

3.69

2231.85

2014.24

3.08 

3857.70

3864.65

5.76

TOTAL 

86000.00 

74435.00

121.54

88500.00

92165.00

140.92 

116500.00

124189.00

185.13

CORIANDER 
MALAYSIA 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11684.61 

13440.75

21.95

11931.85

13534.24

20.69 

12162.42

10635.78

15.85

U.A.E 

4484.18 

3903.03

6.37

4540.08

4699.69

7.19 

3783.13

3067.44

4.57

U.K 

2875.68 

3220.84

5.26

2961.88

3223.62

4.93 

2557.68

2680.59

4.00

SOUTH AFRICA 

2524.32 

2845.48

4.65

2105.08

1990.65

3.04 

2321.93

2250.54

3.35