Number of trade items increases to 62 from 40 at Moreh

Director general of foreign trade under the Ministry of Commerce and Industries has issued a gazette notification allowing the increase of items to be traded from 40 to 62 at Moreh, the sources said.

Besides bicycles and motorcycle spare parts, the other new items were electrical items, bleaching powder and stationery, the sources said.

So far, goods particularly edibles and readymade garments valued at Rs 10 crore, have been imported from Myanmar and goods worth Rs 8 crores exported to the neighbouring country since the border trade began in 1995, they said.

The sources here said due to some restrictions imposed by the Reserve Bank of India, the border trade could not make much headway.

Under RBI restrictions, trade items were to be carried as headload and no vehicle should be used.

A trader, under the present rules, would be allowed to import items from Myanmar and Indian goods having the same monetary value should be exported to Myanmar within six months, the sources added.

Since the border trade was being carried out under the Foreign Exchange Act, 1999, every effort was being made to prevent outflow of Indian currency notes, they said.

The Manipur government was in touch with the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry to ease some rules to increase the border trade.