Imported Chocolates Will Reach You Faster Now

Rejoice home cooks! Gourmet food and imported chocolates will make their way into your kitchens much faster than before. Foreign made products will go through customs clearance much faster due to a new plan which establishes a single-window clearance for imports. The new plan, which could be in place by March of next year, will help expedite the process of customs clearance by introducing random checking instead of the current plan of security checks on each consignment. The plan was said to be put in place to encourage foreign investments in India.

A senior finance ministry official confirmed to ET that talks are underway to reduce the wait time for foreign goods and ensure clearance in a timely manner. The plan, currently in discussion, entails the removal of checks for each specific consignment and switching to random checking for all imported products.  The official noted that if the imported goods doesn’t pose any risk, it should pass through customs without any delays. 

Due to higher demand for gourmet products and imported edible items, the regulations for established importers will also be significantly reduced, making for a faster clearance time. Established companies are currently facing a stringent security check, leading to degradation of their products. The ministry official noted that since it is impossible for all the consignments to go through an individual testing period without a delay in clearance, a new plan to integrate random checking will be announced soon.  

Although random checking could lead to some risky products going through customs clearance, there will be an addition of a few risk parameters to regulate the random selection. This will help in establishing a single-window clearance and help expedite the process of clearing the goods.