PROTECTION TO INDIAN GARMENT EXPORTERS IN WTO
RAJYA SABHA
Government have been
taking appropriate steps to protect the interests of Indian textiles
export industry including garments in the WTO. Some of the recent
steps taken are given below:
(i) India has raised
a dispute under the Dispute Settlement Mechanism of WTO challenging
the zero customs duty concession accorded by European Communities
to the ready-made garments and made-up articles originating from
some of our competing countries under the special tariff arrangements
to combat drug protection and trafficking of its new GSP Scheme,
which are perceived by India to cause adverse trade effects on
our industry.
(ii) The United Stated
had on 31st January 2003 requested WTO’s Committee
on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures that the export competitiveness
of textile and apparel exports from India be determined on the
basis of a computation undertaken by the WTO Secretariat in accordance
with Article 27.6 (b) of the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing
Measures. The products for which the request was made included
all textiles and apparel products under Harmonized System Nomenclature
chapters 50-59 and 60-63. India has sought certain clarifications
from the WTO Secretariat in this regard.
(iii) India along
with certain members of International Textiles & Clothing
Bureau (ITCB) made a submission in the WTO General Council for
availability of flexibility of ‘Carry-Forward’ of quotas in the
year 2004.
(iv) India along
with other ITCB members raised the issue inter-alia of advancing
the application of higher "growth-on-growth" factor
of 27% w.e.f. 1st Janaury 2000, which was otherwise
under the Agreement on Textiles & Clothing (ATC) to be applied
on 1st January 2002. However, no recommendations could
be forwarded by the Council for Trade in Goods to the General
Council in this regard.
This information
was given by the Minister of State for Textiles Shri Basanagouda
Patil (Yatnal) in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.
