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As the West Asia conflict entered its third week, Rajesh Agrawal, Commerce Secretary on Monday flagged the logistical challenges for trade for India.
Speaking about the situation, the Commerce Secretary said, "There are logistical challenges that are being faced. Air cargo is also facing certain challenges because of some destruction in flights." He added that the disruptions could affect trade flows between India and the region. "It will have some impact. Their imports from India will also suffer because they are also dependent on India for multiple categories," Agrawal said. However, he emphasised that both sides are working to address the issues and keep trade channels functional. "Both sides are very engaged in finding solutions which can address some of these challenges. It may have some impact, but it will not be completely wiped out," he said. Agrawal also said the government has set up a mechanism to monitor the situation and respond quickly. "There are certain collaborations, certain work that we are doing by forming an interministerial group under DGFT, which meets everyday morning," he added, referring to the Directorate General of Foreign Trade. Meanwhile, government trade data for February also showed continued action on trade remedies and facilitation measures. The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) initiated a countervailing duty investigation on imports of "PVC Suspension" from China. The data indicated, "DGTR has initiated one Countervailing duty investigation concerning imports of 'PVC Suspension' from China PR." It also noted that "DGTR has issued two final findings in the month of February, 2026" concerning anti-dumping investigations related to "Monoisopropylamine (MIPA)" and "Methyl Acetoacetate" imports from China PR, while "DGTR has not issued any Preliminary findings in the month of February, 2026." The Commerce Secretary's press conference further highlighted measures aimed at improving the ease of doing business in foreign trade. According to the information provided, "Exporter bank accounts are automatically verified via NPCI, linked with PAN and matched with IEC details," a move that "reduces manual intervention, improves compliance speed, and enhances trade facilitation." The government also extended support to exporters through reforms in duty exemption schemes. It said the "export obligation fulfilment period extended till 31 Aug 2026 to address disruptions due to the West Asia crisis." In addition, a nationwide drive conducted from "2-12 March 2026 issued 3,796 EODCs to clear long-pending cases," which helps "release bank guarantees/bonds, reduce compliance burden, improve liquidity, and strengthen trade facilitation." (ANI)
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