India has notified exports of specific quantities of commodities, including eggs, potatoes, onions, rice, wheat flour, sugar, and lentils, to the Maldives for the current fiscal year. According to a notification from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, these exports have been authoriSed for the Maldives under the bilateral trade agreement between the two nations for the fiscal year 2025-26.
"Export of eggs, potatoes, onions, rice, wheat flour, sugar, dal, stone aggregate and river sand to Maldives has been permitted under the bilateral trade agreement between India and Maldives for 2025-26," the DGFT said in a notification.
During this period, exports to the Maldives of eggs, potatoes, onions, rice, wheat flour, sugar, and lentils will be exempt from any existing or future restrictions or prohibitions.
Restricted or prohibited items will be permitted solely through six designated customs ports, which include Mundra, Tuticorin, and Kandla.
The specified quantity allowed includes potatoes (22,589 tonnes), onions (37,537 tonnes), rice (1,30,429 tonnes), wheat flour (1114621 tonnes), sugar (67719 tonnes), dal (350 tonnes), stone aggregate (13 lakh tonnes) and river sand (13 lakh tonnes).
For the export of river sand and stone aggregate, Chemical & Allied Export Promotion Council will ensure suppliers/extractors possess appropriate environmental clearances. Additionally, CAPEXIL will verify that sand mining does not occur within the coastal regulation zone area, which is prohibited under the coastal regulation zone notification.
Necessary environmental clearances must be obtained by exporters from the designated nodal authority of the respective state governments where sand is sourced.
The 1981 India-Maldives trade agreement facilitates the export of essential commodities.
There has been an increase in the quotas for eggs, potatoes, onions, sugar, rice, wheat flour and dal (pulses).
Surrounded by the ocean, the islands in the Maldives and the many atolls don't have enough river sand to support their construction industry, hence the need for importing sand and stone aggregates to the country.
The bilateral trade between the two countries has increased to $978.53 million in 2023-24 from about $973.37 million in 2022-23.
(With Inputs From PTI)
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