Lok Sabha Question No. 1894 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-11-28
Subject: Import Clearance Certificate
Ministry: COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Asked by: PR. SENTHILNATHAN

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1894 TO BE ANSWERED ON 28 th  NOVEMBER, 2016

## IMPORT CLEARANCE CERTIFICATE

## 1894.   SHRI PR. SENTHIL NATHAN:

Will the Minister of COMMERCE & INDUSTRY ( वाͨणÏय एवं उɮयोग मंğी ) be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the traders are facing problems due to delay in issuance of clearance certificates at various sea ports;
- (b) if  so,  the details thereof and the remedial steps taken by the Government to reduce the loss  of  traders  due  to  non  clearance  or  late  clearance  of  the  goods  imported  through various ports; and
- (c) the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  expedite  the  process  of  clearance  certificate  for food grains, pulses and other food products at various sea ports in the country?

## ANSWER

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## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (INDEPENDENT CHARGE)

(SMT. NIRMALA SITHARAMAN)

- (a) and  (b)  Import  of  products  like  drugs/pharma,  food,  plant  &  plant  products,  livestock  & livestock  products  are  governed  by  their  respective  legislations  and  Rules  there  under. Clearance systems of all these categories of products are in place at ports of entry.

The Customs Single Window Interface for Facilitating Trade (SWIFT) enables importers/exporters  to  file  a  common  electronic  'Integrated  Declaration'  on  the  ICEGATE portal. The Integrated Declaration compiles the information requirements of Customs, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Plant Quarantine, Animal Quarantine, Drug Controller,  Wild  Life  Control  Bureau  and  Textile  Committee  and  it  replaces  nine  separate forms required by these 6 different agencies and Customs. With the roll-out of the Single Window, CBEC has also introduced an Integrated Risk Management facility for Partner Govt. Agencies (PGAs), which will ensure that consignments are not selected by agencies routinely for examination and testing, but based on the principle of risk management.

- (c)  The Government has taken the following steps to facilitate trade and import of food products into the country:
- (i)   Customs  in  consultation  with  Food  Safety  Standards  Authority  of  India  (FSSAI)  has introduced Risk Management System (RMS) which will eventually reduce the sampling.
- (ii) Draft Food Safety and Standards (Food Import) Regulations, 2016 has been notified on 25.10.2016.
- (iii) To  streamline  the  functioning  of  NABL(National  Accreditation  Board  for  Testing  and Calibration Laboratories) accredited labs (which test the import samples) and to reduce the time taken in testing, new labs (increased to 112 NABL accredited labs) have been notified for testing of imported samples. Apart from this, 14 referral labs have also been notified for re-testing of import samples. The samples to the labs are referred through random  selection  by  FICS  (Food  Import  Clearance  System)  to  maintain  integrity  of testing procedures.

(iv)Further,  Provisional NOC (PNOC) is issued immediately for imported food items having very short Shelf-life (less than7 days) such as fresh fruit, processed cheese etc.

- (v) FSSAI has issued ad-hoc instructions related to re-sampling and re-testing of food grains including  pulses  consignments  permitting  cleaning  of  pulses/cereals  consignments  at Custom bonded warehouses.
- (vi) FSSAI has allowed drawal of single sample out of the commingled cargo of pulses, oils and other food grains such as cereals for multiple importers with same IGM number vide order dated 12.09.2016 and 10.11.2016
- (vii)In  case  of  primary  food  like  food  grains,  pulses,  fruits,  dry  fruits,  whole  spices  etc. imported in package, labelling requirement of name and address of the importer has been exempted and can be verified from accompanying documents of the consignment
- (viii)FSSAI has shared the microbiological parameters for testing of meat and meat products and fish and fishery products with the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries.

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