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The ball has been set rolling for wheat flour (atta) exporters awaiting government approval since July 12, when such approvals were made mandatory, as the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has now operationalised the portal for application, a person tracking the development has said.
The inter-ministerial committee (IMC) on wheat is expected to take up the first set of applications filed on the portal for clearance when it meets on Thursday next week, a person tracking the development said. Applications for exports filed subsequently will be considered the following Thursday and so on, he added.
“After the IMC clears the applications, the exporters will need to get quality clearance from the Export Inspection Council(EIC) before they are given the final nod,” the source told BusinessLine.
Earlier this month, the government had amended the export policy on wheat flour, making it compulsory for all exporters to get a nod from the IMC starting July 12. Subsequently, the DGFT came up with another notification stating that exporters of wheat flour will need to get a quality certification from the EIC, or one of the four identified Export Inspection Agencies, in addition to an approval from the IMC.
To ensure quality
The DGFT clarified that the reason for the amendment was to ensure quality and the export of wheat flour, otherwise, remained free. The additional quality check for wheat flour comes on the back of a ban on export of wheat, announced by the government on May 13 2022, in response to wheat crop getting hit due to unprecedented heat wave and spiralling domestic prices.
“The clearance process should not take much time if an exporter has all documentation in order. The EIC and its agencies are also well equipped to carry out quality tests as they have been performing such tests on other items such as rice,” the source said.
Exporters will need to submit the purchase order copy of invoice and documentary evidence in case the firm is ISO 22000 compliant, according to the DGFT notification.
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