SAPTHARISHI
STRESSES IMPORTANCE OF CERTIFICATION IN GAINING ACCESS TO OVERSEAS
MARKETS
EIC
WEBSITE LAUNCHED
The importance
of quality in international trade and the growing number of international
standards on conformity assessment has brought to the fore the
important role of certification and testing in helping India gain
access to overseas markets. This was emphasised by Shri L.V.Saptharishi,
Additional Secretary, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, here
yesterday evening, while launching the web site of Export Inspection
Council of India (EIC). Shri L.Mansingh, Director General of Foreign
Trade (DGFT) and Ms.Shashi Sareen, Director, EIC were present
at the function along with representatives of trade bodies and
exporters. Stressing the role EIC has to play in furthering India’s
exports, Shri Saptharishi said both WTO and EC has recognised
that the most important non-tariff barrier to trade today is the
non-acceptance of certification and testing of one country by
another one even as certification has become a vital tool for
market access the world over.
Shri
Saptharishi called for a continuous review of our certification
systems as well as testing infrastructure to meet international
standards for their accreditation to be able to generate confidence
between the importing countries in the competence of our certification
and testing bodies. He complimented EIC for its initiative in
seeking recognition for its export certification through equivalence
agreements and MOUs as envisaged in SPS and TBT Agreements. This
initiative has to be accompanied by all out efforts to upgrade
EIC’s own certification systems to international standards such
as ISO 9000, ISO 14000 and Codex Standards on Food Safety Management
Systems like HACCP which has earned recognition of EC for fish
and fishery products, he added.
Ms.Sareen
informed that EC has identified EIC as one of the recipients of
its technical assistance in areas like manpower development, organic
certification, creation of database, lab upgradation and problem-oriented
research. She said EIC is making a shift from regulator to facilitator
and the launching of the website is part of the modernisation
process. The website www.eicindia.org
displays information relating to activities of EIC/EIAs as well
as procedures for export certification, issue of Certificates
of Origin and testing etc., to bring about greater transparency
and ease of communication between EIC and its clients i.e. exporters,
export organizations in India, importers and governments of importing
countries.
