The Union Commerce Ministry's proposed certification scheme for the ayurveda, unani and sidha (Ayush) exporters have evoked stiff resistance from the ayurveda units. They termed the scheme as an attempt to introduce yet another inspection agency which would increase the time and cost for the products being exported from the country.

Terming the proposal as a serious bottleneck for the exporters, the industry has boycotted the open house session on the scheme scheduled to be held in Mumbai on August 10. Apart from industrialists and Pharmexcil officials, senior officials from department of Ayush were also scheduled to be present in the meeting.

The Commerce Ministry had recently announced a draft notification asking the industry to respond to the proposal. As per the proposed certification scheme, all Ayush products shall be subject to quality control and inspection prior to export by the Export Inspection Council (EIC), Ministry of Commerce.

As per the proposal, the Ayush exporters should get their each and every consignment tested from the EIC-approved laboratories before exporting the same to different countries. After testing the products at these EIC labs, the Ayush exporters have to enclose the certificate for getting clearance from the customs officers and the zonal drug controllers for exporting their products.

The scheme proposes to prohibit the export of Ayush products in the course of international trade unless they conform to the standards specifications applicable to it and is accompanied by a certificate of inspection or certification that such unit is approved and monitored by any establishment under sub-rule (1) of section 7 of the Export (Quality control and inspection) Act, 1963 including its sub offices located at various places of the region.

Under the proposal, the exporters have to pay a certification fee ranging from 0.2 to 0.4 per cent of the FOB value of their consignment.

The Commerce Ministry's proposal comes from the fact that the Ayush exporters in India were experiencing several difficulties as many countries have taken objections on the Indian Ayush products on the ground that they contain toxic materials like heavy metals, pesticide residues, microbial contents and aflotoxins above the acceptable limits. These substances are considered unsafe for health, if it is more than the permissible limits. These findings had an adverse effect on the Ayush exporters in the country.

To address this issue, Pharmexcil and department of Ayush, Union Ministry of Health, convened a round-table conference in Delhi on December 7 last year in which two sub-groups were constituted to go deep into the issue and to come out with a viable solution. While one sub-group under Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) was constituted to recommend the toxic limit specifications, the other one was constituted under EIC director Shashi Sarin to establish the procedures. Pharmexcil executive director Dr PV Appaji was the member secretary of both these sub-groups which have submitted the proposal.