EPCH Wants Govt To Take Up Duty Sops Issue With US .

Exporters have approached the Commerce Ministry urging it to take up with the US the renewal of a preferential import duty arrangement for Indian handicrafts.

Indian handicraft exports to the US used to get duty advantage of the generalised system of preferences (GSP), which has been stopped by the Congress since December,2010."It is going to hit us, as 20-30 per cent of our exports are to the US,"Chairman of the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) Arvind Vadhera said. Of the USD 2.3 billion handcraft exports in 2010-11, the US accounted for USD 658 million."Buyers would be restrained in buying Indian products as (landed cost in the US)will increase,"he said. Differential duty-free treatment was available in the US for handicraft items like hand-hooked carpets, textile floor coverings and brass wares. EPCH has urged the Commerce Ministry to take up the issue with the US for reconsidering its decision and extend the authorisation of GSP as early as possible.
 
The US Congress had adjourned GSP benefits beyond December 2010, that provide preferential duty treatment for about 3,400 products imported from the developing countries.

Source : indiareport.com