India has decided to take the initiative to support China, as it fights against the deadly coronavirus. India has lifted the ban on the export of personal protection equipment, including masks. Items include surgical masks, disposable masks and all kinds of gloves except nitrile butadiene rubber.

Critical items like surgical masks, disposable masks, all kinds of gloves except NBR (nitrile butadiene rubber) gloves, which China needs urgently can be exported by Indian manufacturers immediately to help the Chinese authorities to fight the ongoing health epidemic.

On Sunday, Uday Bhaskar, Director-General, Pharmaceutical Export Promotion Council told BusinessLine that the Directorate-General of Foreign Trade, Department of Commerce, Government of India, has lifted the ban on exports of these equipment’s last night. The DGFT notification, dated February 8, 2020, has amended the Export Policy of Personal Protection Equipment/masks. The export of these items were banned by an earlier order dated January 31, 2020. As export promotion body, Pharmexcil are coordinating to support China and other affected countries to fight the coronavirus.

Pharmexcil DG, who is also National Secretary-General of the Confederation, said that All India Drug Control Officers Confederation has decided to send some protective material to China. The Indian pharmaceutical industry mostly depends on China for the import of raw materials/APIs.

This initiative assumes that China and other countries require a large number of personal protection equipment to stop further spread of the virus and upgrade relief measures.

According to agency reports from Beijing, the new coronavirus that had emerged in central China in December 2019 has killed more than 800 people and has spread around the world. The latest records from China reported that nearly 37,200 people are infected in the country. Outside mainland China, more than 350 infections have been reported in 30 different places.

Source: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/policy/govt-removes-surgical-masks-gloves-from-export-ban-list/article30775570.ece#