DGFT notice clears ambiguity: Pharmexcil

Pharmexcil, an umbrella organisation of pharmaceuticals exporting companies of the country, has welcomed the decision of the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) to declare Pharmexcil as the sole agency for issue of Registration Cum Membership Certificate (RCMC) to exporters of drugs and pharmaceuticals.

Pharmaceutical Export Promotion Council (Pharmexcil) said the order has cleared the ambiguity regarding who could issue the certificates. There were confusion among the embassies and foreign authorities since registration certificates were issued both by Chemicals Export Promotion Council (Chemexil) and Pharmexcil.

The export body stated that the order would help the body take up the cause of exporters more forcefully.

"The March 16 public notice would end the situation of overlapping functions by similar bodies. Besides, when delegations went to foreign countries and when embassy permissions were sought, there was a lot of confusion as these agencies wondered which was the right institution," said D B Mody, chairman, Pharmexcil.

Pharmexcil was formed in April 2004, and today has 697 members, out of which 72 are from Gujarat.

Mody said that this constitutes 90 per cent of all the exports of drugs and pharmaceuticals from India. The export of pharmaceutical products from India is to the tune of Rs 15,000 crore.

Prior to the formation of Pharmexcil, exporters of drugs and chemicals had to seek a RCMC from Chemexcil. However, with Pharmexcil being formed, there was a certain amount of ambiguity as RCMCs were being issued by both.

"When the foreign trade policy was announced in August last, a special focus was given to export of drugs and pharmaceuticals and so the DGFT notice is a step in the right direction," he said.

Pharmexcil branch in Ahmedabad by April

The Ahmedabad branch of Pharmexcil will be opened in April or May this year, said D B Mody, chairman Pharmexcil.

The body, headquartered at Hyderabad, has a branch in Mumbai as well. "We plan to open branches in Ahmedabad and Chennai soon," Mody said.

He added that the office in Ahmedabad will be opened in association with the Gujarat State Branch of the Indian Drug Manufacturers' Association (IDMA).

Kamlesh Udani, executive director of J B Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Ltd, said that with several companies engaged in exports of drugs and pharmaceuticals from Gujarat, opening up of a Pharmexcil branch in Ahmedabad will be of great help.

"There are 72 exporters from Gujarat, who are members of Pharmexcil and having a branch here will be of great help," Udani said.