India faces heat in the face

Copyright © HT Digital Streams Limit all rights reserved. The WTO’s market access committee noted that several members have questioned whether India’s restrictions on the import of pulses and other measures are trading barriers. Photo: Pradeep Gaur/Mint Summary India’s quality control orders on tires and air conditioners attracted questions from the EU, Indonesia and others at the WTO Market Access Committee, while quantitative restrictions on Pulse under repeated examination of Australia, Canada and the EU came. New -Delhi: India was scrutinized at the World Trade Organization (WTO) on its import restrictions and quality control orders (QCOs). In a draft report released on Thursday, the WTO’s Market Access Committee noted that several members questioned whether these measures were to make up trade barriers. The concept of the WTO committee’s concept 2025 showed that India remains prominent among the countries whose policy has been disputed, even if it actively participated in technical work on tariff schedules and notices. According to the report, India’s quantitative restrictions on Pulse also came under repeated investigation by Australia, Canada and the European Union. The QCOs on tires and air conditioners have also attracted questions from members, including the European Union, Indonesia, Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) and Thailand, who argued that such measures could limit the market access and increase the copy for exporters. Only China raised a concern for bag lights, while Japan and Thailand did it for air conditioners. Interestingly, the US has not expressed concern about India’s effort to launch a series of QCOs. QCOs are compulsory government regulations that require specific products to meet the designated Indian standards and to carry the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) before they can be manufactured, sold or imported. Issued by different ministries, protects QCOs consumers from substandards, promotes quality and prevents low-quality imports by serving as a non-tariff barrier. India becomes self-sufficient in air conditioners, as the government’s production-linked incentive scheme (PLI) for white goods has significantly reduced the import of compressors, and the compressor production is expected to touch 8 million units by 2028-29, following three PLI phases rolled out between April 2021 and January, according to a Mint. Trading experts noted that India was in a delicate position. “While QCOs and import restrictions are being used to increase domestic manufacturing, its exporters face challenges of sustainability-linked rules and reciprocal rates. This double pressure is drawing India deeper into WTO disputes, even if it negotiates bilateral trading transactions,” says Vinod Kumar, President, India SME Forum. Mint reported on September 9 that India was under scrutiny over the failure to respond to the farm -related inquiries that accumulated for more than a decade. According to a secretariat report, the country has the longest list of pending inquiries at the WTO. The updated WTO note, issued on September 8, listed 186 unanswered questions from 2013 to 2023, and another 51 from 2024, 30 of which were pending on September 5. Finger on the Pulse’s quantitative restrictions on the import of pulses – which is particularly relevant in light of the country’s status as the world’s largest buyer of lentils and peas – faced the setback of Australia, Canada and the European Union. Australia and Canada are the most important pulses to India, who also import smaller quantities of EU members such as France, the Netherlands and Belgium. According to the WTO document, the EU Australia and Canada’s stance for Pulse import restrictions and urged India to have a more predictable, open and transparent import and tariff regime for certain types of pulses. India has tightened its import policy on pulses by reinforcing the duties on different varieties, while tax -free access to some temporarily admit. From April 1, 2025, the import of Chana (Black Gram) was subject to a 10% duty after the government ended the earlier release. Similarly, from March 8, 2025, lentils (Masoor) began to attract a 10% levy, which consists of a 5% basic customer law and a 5% agricultural infrastructure and development business. The import of Moon still has restrictions in accordance with the broader government strategy to protect domestic farmers. In contrast, Yellow Peas and Tur Dal granted until 31 March 2026 to facilitate local supply deficits. Other import licensing procedures and regulatory requirements have been marked as possible barriers to trading, such as import restrictions on pharmaceutical products, and restrictions on wooden boards and viscous stack fiber – both marked by Thailand. In December 2022, the Ministry of Textiles notified the Viscose Staple Fiber QCO, while the Ministry of Trade and Industry issued the wood-based boards in March 2024. In September 2025, India imposed import restrictions on a chemicals used in the pharmaceutical industry, until September 30, 2026. India’s defense defending these measures, India maintained that the QCOs were intended to ensure the safety of consumers, to combat the importation of substandard and support the domestic industry in the upcoming quality. New Delhi argued that the introduction of standards and restrictions was within the rules of the WTO, as long as they were non-discriminatory and justified on the basis of safety and public interest. Nieu -Delhi said about import restrictions for pulses during the presentation at a formal meeting on April 9 that the measures taken by India were taken to maintain food and nutritional safety. “This is a great importance for our economy, and the import policy is regularly reviewed and updated. The trade measures that apply to the import of pulses are in line with the appropriate WTO agreements and the specified procedures of those agreements,” it said. India has also highlighted its compliance with multilateral obligations by submitting its bi-annual notice on quantitative restrictions for 2024-26. Indian also said that under Article XX (general exemptions) of the general agreement on rates and trade allowed to adopt rules to protect the lives of humans, animals or plant or for public interest, provided these rules were fair and not used to discriminate or block the trade. Teen riding against the WTO panel discussions has also pushed India back against the obstacles it faces in foreign markets. New Delhi expressed concern about the European Union’s deforestation-free commodity regulations, which could disrupt the Indian shipping of coffee, leather and various agricultural goods. It also labeled the EU’s carbon border adjustment mechanism, also carbon tax, which is expected to increase costs for steel and aluminum exporters, as trade limiting. India also joined greater deliberation on the resilience of the supply chain and the ‘green’ of the harmonized system, which shows the intention to influence environmental measures discussions. In addition, India raised the issues of Thailand’s market access for agricultural commodities and food products and market access problems facing the pharmaceutical sector. All of these issues will be discussed at a formal meeting of the committee on October 15-16. 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