Chicken leg imports will continue to attract 100% duty, says govt

Though India and the United States (US) have decided to resolve the seventh or the last trade dispute over import curbs on poultry products at the World Trade Organization (WTO) last week, the controversial import of chicken legs from Washington will continue to attract 100 per cent duty, senior government officials said on Tuesday.

The statement could assuage some of the concerns gripping the Indian poultry industry ever since India decided to lower tariff on some poultry items from the US.

India has agreed to bring down the import duty on some fresh and processed food items, including blueberries, cranberries, frozen turkey and duck, to 5-10 per cent.

The US had raised a dispute against India at the WTO 11 years ago after New Delhi imposed prohibitions on imports of poultry products due to concerns relating to avian influenza or bird flu. 

The US has argued that India’s decision to put restrictions on poultry products was not taken after adequate scientific research and flouted WTO norms by being discriminatory against the US. Eventually, in 2015, India lost a long-standing dispute.