• PAGE ONE
• INDEX
• HOME

Maize imports may be further liberalised

Our Bureau

MUMBAI, March 30

IN the forthcoming export-import policy, maize (corn) imports are expected to be further liberalised. Trading houses and users of maize (corn) are confident of a more liberal trading environment for this coarse cereal whose production has been trailing a growing demand.

Currently, the import of maize is restricted to feed grade for poultry or animals. Food grade maize import is not allowed. In other words, imports are permitted under actual user condition. Other users such as starch manufacturers have also been demandin g maize import.

Hope for more liberal import of maize follows the recent meeting of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials with their Indian counterparts. India has agreed to a tariff rate quota regime whereby an import of up to 3.5 lakh tonnes would attract a 15-per-cent tariff and anything beyond this would attract a higher rate of 60 per cent. Every year, the quota would increase by 50,000 tonnes till it reaches five lakh tonnes.

Caution on GM corn

Interestingly, the Union Government which has been extremely cautious about introducing genetically modified seeds in the country has not bothered about the entry of transgenic corn, even if for animal feed.

As per the available data, last year India imported about five lakh tonnes of maize. For 1999-2000, the import volume is placed at 2.2 lakh tonnes from different origins including 90,000 tonnes from the US. As is well known, more than a third of corn gro wn in the US is genetically engineered and the origin does not segregate GM and non-GM corn.

Indian customs and plant quarantine authorities have been clearing large consignments of imported maize without as much as testing for transgenic traits. They rely on an undertaking from suppliers which more often than not is just a piece of paper. Worse , they do not have requisite equipment for testing. Senior scientists in the Government admit that the port-based inspection offices are ill-equipped to trace and stop the import of transgenic material.

Indeed, there is a strong and unassailable suspicion that a lot of gene engineered corn has already entered the country and got consumed by unwary consumers. Only a part of the imports were actually used in animal feed.