The Hindu Business Line : Delay in clearing poppy seed cargo holds price

Kochi, Nov. 8 The delay in releasing poppy seed consignments from ports due to alleged indifferent attitude of the authorities is depriving consumers of competitive prices.

If permission is granted in time for importing the commodity, the consignments would arrive in the Indian market.

It would break the monopoly of certain overseas suppliers/ importers and consumers in the country too would gain from competitive prices, Mumbai and Bangalore-based traders told Business Line.

“There are no reasons for delaying it as the imports are made under OGL and the supplying countries are growing it legally, under permission from the International Narcotic Control Board,” they claimed.

They alleged that the Narcotic Control Board, Gwalior, is probably trying to help some dealers who had imported from Turkey in the wake of the fall in prices in the domestic market to Rs 210 a kg from Rs 550.

If timely permission is granted and the consignments cleared at ports, the prices will drop further to Rs 190 a kg, they said.

This year, China is reported to have a crop of 4,000-5,000 tonnes of white poppy seeds.

Indian authorities have issued permits to two importers while requests from other importers are allegedly pending.

Chinese cargo

According to the traders, the “cargo from China has arrived at Nhava Sheva port but it has not been cleared by the Customs for want of permits from the NCB, even though the importers had received the orders”.

The cargo is pending “for two months and suppliers in China are in trouble, while importers reputation is at stake,” they said.

Imports

Since 1998, poppy seed imports are allowed from 11 countries that is, China, Czech, Turkey, Spain etc. Approval has also been given by the International Narcotic Control Board (INCB), Vienna, which controls cultivation and trade of poppy seeds, they said.

India, one of the major consumers of white poppy seeds for culinary purposes, has been importing it from Turkey as other countries were growing blue and yellow poppy seeds.