Centre and state list of exportable items differs

Gangtok, Jul 19 (UNI) Apart from the issue of import and export code that dampened the spirit of traders intending to do trade with China through Nathua La pass, differences in the list of items exportable to China prepared by the Central and Sikkim state governments also confused the traders.

As per the agreement signed between the two counries, 29 items would be exported to China and 15 items would be imported from China through the Nathu La pass.

Though the number of items remained the same in both the lists, they differed on items for export.

Sikkim Chamber of Commerce President S K Sarda said a notification issued by the Director General of Foreign Trade K T Chacko on June 13 listed watches, dyes and agro-chemicals among the 29 items identified for export to China through the Nathu La pass.

But these items did not find a place in the list prepared and distributed by the Sikkim government.

Palm oil, hardware and milk processed products figured in the list of the exportable items prepared by the state government in place of dyes, agrochemicals and watches.

However, the 15 items to be imported from China remained same in the list prepared both by the state and central governments.

The 15 items that are importable from China are goat skin, sheep skin, wool, raw silk, yak tail, yak hair, China clay, borax, seaibelyipe, butter, goat kashmiri, common salt, horse, goat and sheep.

Similarly, besides the three items over which the confusion prevailed, the rest 26 items exportable to China are Agriculture implements, blankets, copper products, clothes, cycles, coffee, tea, barley, rice, flour, dry fruit, dry and fresh vegetable, gur and misri, tobacco, snuff, spices, shoes, kerosene oil, stationery, utensils, wheat, canned food, cigarettes and local herb.

Mr Sarda said the confusion was not confined to the Indian side only. Though the Chinese were to export only 15 items , the Chinese traders in Renqinggang trade mart displayed items not listed in list, which indicated lack of awareness among Chinese traders, he said.

Recently two truck loads of animal products like goat and sheep skin brought by the Chinese traders could not cross the border as they did not have the health card, Sikkim Miister for Animal Husbandry Kalawati Subba said.

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