SLEEK BOARDS SUBMITS REPRESENTATION TO DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF SYSTEMS AND DATA MANAGEMENT TO WAIVE THE MANDATORY PHYTOSANITARY CERTIFICATE

Directorate General Of Systems And Data Management, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance has issued a advisory no 06-2021 dated 29.1.2021 now making mandatory for importers to upload Phytosanitory import Permit under documentary code 8520PQ in e-Sanchit.

Sleek Boards based in Pune has submitted a representation to the Joint Director stating that it is great impediment for importers of engineered panel products like Particle Boards, MDF, Oriented Strand Boards and Plywood which are produced under heat and pressure and have been known to be free of any plant quarantine restrictions since 2003. The Ministry of Agriculture in exporting countries following the uniform global norms set by the World Health Organisation are not supporting the request for uploading the mandatory requirement and importers are facing a huge cost for non-clearance of their import cargo in absence of the phytosanitory certificate.

Further as per uniform code of practices by all importing and exporting countries the offices in exporting counties are not issuing such certificates and if do are charging a sizeable fee per certificate. Sleek Boards has brought to the notice of the DGS and DM that it is also agreed by the Government of India to exempt the products falling under chapter 4410, 4411 and 4412 by order called the Plant Quarantine (Regulation of Import into India) Order, 2003- Requirement of Import of Wood and Timber: which reads:

(4) The provision of this Order shall not apply to consignments of processed wood material such as plywood, particle board, oriental strand board or veneer that have been manufactured by using glue, heat and pressure or combination thereof.

Further the Ministry of Agriculture also passed another order called as the Plant Quarantine (regulation of import into India) Third Amendment Order, 2004 published in Gazette of India on 31st May 2004 reaffirming that even for packing material wholly made of processed wood products such as plywood, particleboards, oriented strand boards or veneer that have been created using glue, heat and pressure or combination thereof. In short products falling under HS Code 4410,4411 and 4412.

In light of government initiatives to encourage ease of doing business
Sleek Boards have requested the Joint Director, Directorate General Of Systems And Data Management, to remove the items exempted by the Plant Quarantine (Regulation of Import into India) Order, 2003 from the requirement of Phytosanitory import permit for items falling under 4410, 4411 and 4412 soonest to save trouble and costs to importers. Importantly till the release of the advisory all these products being exempted from phytosanitary certification were freely imported, unobstructed by customs following the clarity in Plant Quarantine (Regulation of Import into India) Order, 2003.

Sleek Boards also appeals to all trade associations and importers to take up this matter using their good offices for early relief to importers on uploading such documents which exporting counties are reluctant to provide.