U.S. revokes duty-free benefits on import of 50 Indian items

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has revoked duty-free concessions on import of at least 50 Indian products, mostly from the handloom and agriculture sectors. 

The federal register notification mentioned 90 products that were so far subject to duty-free provisions under the generalized system of preferences (GSP).

President Donald Trump issued a presidential proclamation recently, leading to the removal of these products from the privilege, beginning November 1.

These products may continue to be imported subject to regular most favoured nation duty-rates, a news agency reported.

In 2017, the duty-free export to the United States by India, the largest beneficiary of the GSP, under the scheme was to the tune of more than $5.6 billion.

The list conveys that a large number of small and medium businesses could be impacted, in particular handloom and agricultural sector, the report said.

Products from Pakistan, Ecuador, Brazil, Thailand, Suriname, Turkey, the Philippines, Argentina and Indonesia have also been removed from the GSP list.

Indian products part of the list include many kinds of buffalo leather; dyed, plain weave certified hand-loomed fabrics of cotton, containing 85 per cent or more cotton by weight; and plain weave certified hand-loomed fabrics of cotton, containing 85 per cent or more cotton by weight, hand-loomed carpet and other textile floor coverings, not of pile construction, woven, made up of man-made textile materials.