Single window to boost India-China trade

Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, June 27

Even as the Indo-China trade along the Shipkila Pass is yet to pick up, the starting of a single window at the zero point to ensure checking of goods at one site by multiple agencies is expected to give a boost to the trade this year.

It is for the first time that the traders will not have to open up their trade products at multiple points as earlier checking was done by various agencies like the Customs, the ITBP, local police and other central intelligence agencies. This year there is also a proposal to set up a Trade Centre at Chuppan on the Indian side, close to the border by putting up fabricated structures for the convenience of the traders.

The volume of the Indo-China trade along the Shipkila Pass has picked up gradually over the years but the restriction on livestock trade has proved to be the biggest stumbling block in substantial increase in imports and exports. Though earlier livestock trade was allowed but for the last four years it has been stopped resulting in disinterest by many traders from Kinnaur.

“We have requested the Chief Minister to take it up with the Ministry of Commerce to allow livestock trade as there is a lot of demand for the goats and horses imported from the Tibet side of China,” said Hishey Negi, president of the Kinnaur Indo-China Traders Association.

He said that currently most of the traders were busy with the apricot season and it is only by end of the next month that traders will start going to China.

This year a total of 77 traders have applied for getting the trade permit and verification of 17 has already come from the intelligence agencies. “We have issued trade passes to six traders and even though the trade is officially held between June 1 and November 30 every year it normally picks up a little later,” said Tehsildar Pooh Rajesh Verma who is also the Trade Officer.

In 2015 the value of exports was worth Rs 5.01 crore while the value of imports was Rs 4.36 crores. A total of 98 trade permits had been issued to the locals of Kinnaur but only 71 visited Tibet in China to sell their products. As per the list of trade items prepared by the Customs Department, a total of 36 items figure on the export list while the import list stands at 20.

A dozen new items, including Chinese handicrafts, carpets and herbal medicines, were included in the trade list in 2012 to increase the quantum of trade. Though till date not even a single Chinese trader has visited India traders from the Indian side have kept the trade going even though the volume is not very high.