India asks FTA partners to ease imports regulations

Owing to the nationwide three-week lock down imposed by the government to reduce the rapidly spiraling cases of coronavirus, Indian authorities are not being able to issue certificate of origin to the country’s traders. Therefore, the government has urged the countries, with which it has free trade agreements (FTAs), to allow imports of goods without certificate of origin for the time being. These include ASEAN, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Malaysia, among others.

The directorate general of foreign trade (DGFT) said in a circular, “In view of these exceptional circumstances, the certificates would be issued retrospectively by the concerned Indian agencies after they open their offices”.

Certificate of origin are essential for exporters to prove (at the landing port of the importing country) where their goods come from and therefore stake their claim to whatever benefits goods of Indian origin may be eligible for in the country of exports.