India should negotiate protectionist non-tariff barriers: Study

a recent study on non-tariff barriers has suggested exercising 'caution' in accepting genuine ntbs while negotiating protectionist ntbs as they could affect india's exports. caution is needed in the case of ntbs by india even if they are genuine as this will be applicable to domestic sector also, an interim report on the study on ntbs faced by india and policy measures said. the export strategy of india should take note of the sectors in which we face major non-tariff barriers along with tariff barriers. the export promotion policies should look into the ntbs which can be avoided by suitable measures which are wto compatible, the report said. it further suggested listing out of all ntbs against india on a regular basis as also examining them whether they are wto compatible or not, genuine or not. the report, prepared by the economic division of the commerce ministry after discussions with export promotion councils, exports and commodity boards also said india should ignore ntbs that can be ignored as they may boomerang on india in general and exports in particular. citing instances it said exporters could lose business if we emphasise too much against such actions as in the case of on-site inspection by an importer and not the importing country. the report said that removal of ntbs should be one of the main issues to be negotiated at the wto level and included more elaborately in the ministerial declaration instead of mentioning it along with other issues. though india's concern on ntbs had been taken note of in wto ministerial declaration at doha, the report said, focus can be given on ntbs... as this is the second issue like implementation issue which has led to denial of any possible benefits to us from the uruguay round of negotiations. the report also called for serious thinking on having free trade agreements with strategic partners to avoid ntbs (non-tariff barriers), especially in the light of free trade area of americas (ftaas) increasingly becoming a reality. giving out a list of ntbs by india's major trading partners, the report said that in value terms technical requirements (safety) and labelling requirements as ntbs are applicable to 25 per cent and 19 per cent (respectively) of india's exports to us. other important ntbs against india are authorisation (plants), technical requirement (health) and inspection quarantine (health). in the case of eu, the main ntbs are restrictions on market access for fur products, requirements that imported wines should be produced on the lines of eu wines and sanitary and phyto-sanitary measures for nutritional supplements. a commodity-wise analysis shows that textiles, iron and steel, vehicles parts and accessories, marine products and edible fruits and nuts are the main export items of india which face ntbs in the us.

India should negotiate protectionist non-tariff barriers: Study

A RECENT study on non-tariff barriers has suggested exercising ‘caution’ in accepting genuine NTBs while negotiating protectionist NTBs as they could affect India’s exports.

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