Afghan clothes get duty-free access

Clothing from Afghanistan has been granted duty-free

access to India. The Duty-Free Tariff Preference scheme launched in 2008 aims to provide preferential duty access to products that constitute around 92.5 per cent of the world’s overall least developed countries’ exports. Most of the products from Afghanistan would gain duty-free access in India. The scheme would be implemented over a period of five years, and the duty would be brought to zero in five equal phases of 20 per cent reduction in the existing duty rates. Under the scheme, a zero-duty access on 85 per cent of India’s total tariff lines has been granted on Afghanistan’s exports to India.

Cotton and readymade garments are some of the items of interest for the countries covered under the scheme. Some of the products included in the scheme include cotton, cocoa, aluminum ores, copper ores, cashew nuts, cane-sugar, ready-made garments, fish fillets and non-industrial diamonds. Under this scheme, India shall unilaterally provide preferential market access for exports from all the 50 least developed countries. At least 30 of these countries are in Africa.