Govt allows import of potatoes from Bhutan till Jan 31, 2021

New Delhi: India on Friday allowed the import of fresh and chilled potatoes from Bhutan without any license, up to January 31, 2021. Their imports were restricted till now. “Import of potatoes is allowed for import from Bhutan without license upto January 31, 2021,” Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification.

In a separate notification, DGFT also eased the procedure for import of potatoes, till January 31,2021, under Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) scheme by doing away with the need to send hard copy of the applications via mail or by post. “Successful applicants will have to ensure that the import consignments reach the Indian ports on or before January 31, 2021. Request for extension of time will not be entertained,” DGFT said.

The simplified procedure comes a day after the finance ministry notified that 10,00,000 MT of potatoes can be imported till January 31, 2021 at an in-quota tariff rate of 10%. The TRQ is allotted to the importer by the DGFT.