The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) on Monday issued the gazette notification extending the ban on import of milk and milk products from China till June 2013 in view of their poor quality standards.
The move came over a week after the top food regulator advised the Government to do so in view of reports of poor quality standards of milk in China.
On Friday, The Pioneer had reported that though the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) had recommended ban on milk and milk products on June 22, the DGFT under the Commerce and Trade Ministry failed to do even by June 24 when the deadline had expired.
Waking up to the lapse, the DGFT has now issued the notification. It says, “Prohibition on import of milk and milk products (including chocolates and chocolate products and candies/ confectionary/ food preparations with milk or milk solids as an ingredient) from China is further extended till 23.6.2013 or until further orders, whichever is earlier.”
It was in September 2008 that India had banned milk and milk products from China for the first time for three months following reports of deaths and diseases in China due to the consumption of the milk-laced with melamine, a fatal chemical. Till then the ban has continued.
