The government on Wednesday put quality restrictions on mobile phones, dairy products and toys in a measure aimed mainly to block their imports from China and which may trigger another round of wrangling at the WTO between two of Asia’s biggest economies.

The Directorate-General of Foreign Trade said mobile handsets without the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number, which helps authorities to track the sale and use of the phones, cannot be imported from now on. An estimated eight lakh such phones come into the country every month from China. These are unbranded and cost a lot less than the branded variety.

Security agencies had raised concern over the use of these phones, many of which, they said, were being used by terrorists to set off bombs and communicate among themselves. Since these sets do not have the 15-digit IMEI number, or cloned numbers, the authorities find it difficult to track the sale or usage. Approximately 30 million such phones are in use at present.

The DGFT also banned till January 2010 the import of toys that do not meet international safety standards and norms. This move too will hit imports of toys mainly from China and several other countries. India had blocked import of toys from China in January on health grounds, after concerns over their safety were raised in developed markets. But the restriction was eased later after Beijing questioned the restrictions on the ground that New Delhi did not put such curbs on toys from other countries.

More than a dozen countries in Asia and Africa had also banned milk and dairy product imports from China, while several others had recalled the products suspected to be contaminated. India, world’s largest milk producer, does not import milk products from China. The ban is being seen as a preventive measure.

Meanwhile, the government has asked its missions in the African region to step up vigil against bootlegged drugs being sent to those markets with fake `Made in India’ tag. The commerce department last week lodged a complaint with the Chinese embassy here and the Indian embassy in Beijing and sought action against the impostors.

The Indian action comes after Nigeria’s pharma regulator reported the detention of a large consignment of fake drugs for treating malaria. The consignment carried `Made in India’ labels but was produced in China. A laboratory test of a recent consignment of anti-malaria drugs Maloxine and Amalar tablets proved these were fake. Had the drugs flowed into the market, about 642,000 lives would have been affected.

/Newslink/

Hope the ban stays long enough.

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The biotech industry, which has been anchored firmly by the Genome Valley project, has already been a major earner of foreign exchange (Rs 4,914 crore from pharmaceuticals, biotech, chemicals and allied chemicals) for the State. The number of biotech companies in Genome Valley now stands at 50. With the ongoing expansion of the third phase of Genome Valley, another 10 companies will be added. They include major names such as Biocon.

The presence of reputed research institutions like the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) and Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnosis (CDFD) and University of Hyderabad are also adding up to the industry’s fascination with Hyderabad.

In addition to this, about 20 major corporate hospitals, well equipped for clinical trials of international standards and varied patient pool would also come handy for biotech and pharma industry growth as they grow in size and global operations.

Full article here.

The Genome Valley Bio cluster comprises the following

Shapoorji Pallonji Biotech Park
ICICI Knowledge Park
Bharat Biotech Park
Shanta Biotechnics
Godrej Plant Biotech Ltd
Biological E Ltd
Krebs Biochemicals
Nuziveedu Seed Co. Ltd
GVK Biosciences Private Ltd
Jupiter Orga
Metchnikoff Biosystems
Satyam Forest Research Centre
Haritha Biotech and Plantations
AG Biotech Laboratories (India) Ltd
Mediclone Biotech Private Ltd

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