Govt Permits Monthly Export Of 4 Crore 2/3 Ply Surgical Masks

Mumbai, 29 July 2020:

The Central government has permitted the export of four crore surgical masks and 20 lakh medical goggles every month in the wake of their huge demand due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Confirming this, Union minister of commerce and industry, Piyush Goyal on Tuesday tweeted that in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mantra of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, the government has permitted the export of four crore 2/3 ply surgical masks and 20 lakh medical goggles every month, along with restriction-free export of face shields.

The export of 2/3 ply surgical masks, medical goggles has been moved from prohibited to restricted category after the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) amended their export policy.

The export of face shields has been made free, stated DGFT in a circular.

A monthly export quota of four crore units per month for 2/3 ply surgical masks and 20 lakh units per month for medical goggles has been fixed, added the circular.

All other items that are part of PPE kits remain prohibited. These items include medical goggles, all masks other than non-medical/non-surgical (cotton, silk, wool, polyester, nylon rayon, viscose – knitted, woven or blended); nitrile gloves and face shield, it said.

This came weeks after giving a nod to the monthly export of 50 lakh units personal protection equipment (PPE) medical coveralls.

PPE medical coveralls for COVID-19 have been moved to the ‘restricted’ list for exports from the ‘prohibited’ list.

The government has prohibited export of PPE kits to cater to the domestic demand. However, manufacturers of PPE kits have been pushing for lifting of the export ban to meet global demand.

They cited examples of several countries including Bangladesh, Indonesia and Pakistan which have removed ban on PPE exports and are receiving huge orders. Pharmabiz