India slaps fresh barrier to Lankan pepper; exporters smarting

Effective 6 December 2017, the Government of India has introduced a Minimum Import Price (MIP) for pepper of Indian Rupees 500 per kg, which works out to $ 7,700 per MT.

“As the Sri Lankan pepper market is around $ 4,600 it is not feasible for importers in India to import pepper because of this MIP,” the Spices & Allied Products Producers’ & Traders’ Association said.

“This is another measure introduced by India to prevent import of pepper which is allowed under the Free Trade Agreement. Besides, shipments that have been made earlier are also being subjected to considerable delayin their clearance,” the association added.