The pharmaceutical exporters in the country have demanded to the Union commerce ministry to exempt barcodes on mono cartons as a secondary level packaging on export consignment of pharmaceuticals and drugs which is to be implemented from April 1, 2015 for tracing and tracking purposes.

As per the Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) public notice no. 68 dated 6.8.2014, the bar-coding on mono carton as secondary level packaging on export consignment of pharmaceuticals and drugs for tracing and tracking purpose will come into effect from April 1, 2015.

In a letter to Union commerce ministry recently, the Indian Drug Manufacturers' Association (IDMA) has demanded the exemption of bar coding on mono cartons as the pharma exporters especially the SMEs are struggling to come to complete terms in complying with barcoding on tertiary and secondary packs.

S V Veerramani, president, IDMA explained in the letter that each mono cartons contains just one strip of the medication, the size of the mono cartons for the blister packings and the ampoules is too small to accommodate the barcoding. These mono cartons are then packed in another outer cartons which has the barcoding. Since the pack in which the mono cartons are packed has the bar-coding for the purpose of trace and tracking, so the bar-coding on mono cartons should be exempted and maintained only on the immediate outer pack of the mono cartons.

It was also brought to the notice of the authorities that some port officials are not clearing consignments of pharma exporters due to the impending requirement of barcodes on mono cartons from April 1, 2015.

The IDMA has sought urgent indulgence of ministry of commerce and industry to restrict the requirement of barcoding only on the immediate outer pack of the mono cartons so that the exporters of pharmaceuticals and drugs are able to comply with the government's regulations.