Kolkata, Sep 9 (UNI) In the name of monitoring, the latest restrictions on import of steel products, critical raw material for the engineering industry, would further add to the input cost of exporters battling deceleration in shipments, EEPC India has said and urged the Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal to issue directions to modify the DGFT notification and supplement with other support measures.
In a letter to the Commerce Minister, EEPC India chairman Ravi Sehgal said, the DGFT notification of September 5, 2019 , in the name of Steel Import Monitoring System (SIMS), has mandated compulsory registration for import of most of the steel products ( under Chapter 72 and few products under Chapter 73 and 86 of ITC (HS). It states that an importer can apply for registration not earlier than 60th day and not later than 15th day before the expected date of arrival of consignment. For such registration, specific registration fee has also been specified.
While it is believed that this system has been brought in on the lines of the United States’ “Enforcement and Compliance Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis System (SIMA)”, it may be noted that in the US there is no application fee for the SIMA licence for imports. The license may be filled out up to 60 days prior to the date of importation/expected date of entry and will be valid for 75 days.