India changes import policy on green gram quota

India imposed import restrictions on green gram which were previously traded with the relaxations, according to Notification S.O 624 (E) of India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry issued on 11 February.
For black gram and pigeon pea, India extended relaxations of conditions regarding clearance consignment until 31 March 2022. However, import restriction on the green gram as per the notification has been effective starting from 11 February.
The policy changes will wreak havoc on those green gram imported from Myanmar that have the bill of lading after 11 February.
To tackle this problem and unnecessary price drop, Myanmar’s Ministry of Commerce held a coordination meeting on 14 February to govern the market and have a steady export to India.
Union Minister for Commerce Dr Pwint San gave a remark that they will negotiate with Indian counterparts through the government-to-government relations.
Furthermore, the association concerned must strive for market stability and penetrate more external markets including European Union, which can offer a better price, he added.
There are approximately 9.9 million acres of various beans and pulses across the country, with an annual production of 4.1 million tonnes. Myanmar shipped about 700,000 tonnes of green gram to 64 foreign trade partners in the 2020-2021 financial year. Between 1 October 2021 and 4 February 2022 of the mini-budget period, 147,326 tonnes of green gram were delivered to the global market. Of them, 18,842 tonnes were sent to the Indian market, constituting 12 per cent of overall green gram exports. — NN/GNLM