The Indian government has exempted imports of certain grades of stainless steel products from the purview of the mandatory quality control order which was introduced on June 13 this year, government officials said on Thursday, October 9.
Under the mandatory quality control order, imports of stainless steel products had to conform to specifications of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), and importers had to seek quality certification from the latter, which was granted only after the BIS inspected factories from where the material originated.
The June 13 quality control order was applied to three Indian Standards - IS 6911, IS5522 and IS 15997- covering series 200 series and 300 series stainless steel products.
According to government officials, the exemption will provide relief for micro, small, medium enterprises (MSMEs) which have been struggling to meet raw material requirements through imports and will now be able to receive stainless steel raw materials without waiting for quality certifications to be issued by the BIS.
The certification process could take as much as 18 months involving audits, performance guarantees, inspection of manufacturing facilities overseas and high costs, making it unviable for small consumers.
India imports about 30 percent of stainless steel and consumes on average about 1.5 million mt per year more than domestic production, the officials said.