India will impose non-tariff barriers on reciprocal basis: Piyush Goyal

New Delhi: India will impose non-tariff barriers (NTB) on a reciprocal basis, commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said Tuesday, and asked industry to get out of the subsidy mindset.

“I’ve categorically told other countries if you impose one NTB, we will impose two. Ye reciprocal hoga abhi (It will be reciprocal),” Goyal said while chairing the second meeting of the reconstituted Board of Trade.

He asked the industry to share a list of such measures which India can flag with the respective nations.

India’s exports face NTBs such as prior registration requirements, higher pesticide levels and domestic standards in many countries.

“So please inform us to improve our position. Today, I can’t negotiate with foreign countries because I don’t have the data on their non-tariff barriers,” he said, and asked industry to look at utilisation of India’s free trade agreements especially the new ones.

Goyal insisted that there is a need to “get out of the subsidy mindset”.

“We need to stand on our feet, on the strength of our capabilities, we should be in a position to compete with the world,” he said, and also sought suggestions from the industry on further improving ease of doing business, cutting down compliance and logistics costs, decriminalisation of minor offences, and ways to attract investments.

Goyal said that all manual interface and intervention has to end be it tea board or any other commodity board.

He also asked the pharmaceutical industry to resolve their issues domestically and not escalate it to the government.

“Today, government only acts as a facilitator. Today one part of pharma is suffering, tomorrow someone else might. One will jack up the prices and kill the industry,” he said.

The minister also said that a Trade Connect ePlatform, an intermediary platform to connect Indian exporters and entrepreneurs with various stakeholders in international trade will commence soon.

The ePlatform is expected to provide facilitation for exporters, information on various regulations to access markets, sectors, export trends, and facility to address trade-related queries.

The Board of Trade meeting focused on reviewing the export performance to achieve the $2 trillion export target by 2030, and the strategies and measures to be adopted in order to take forward the export growth.
State ministers, other senior officials of key line ministries, all major trade and industry bodies, export promotion councils and industry associations attended the meeting.