Hundreds of pharma machinery manufacturers in the country have urged the government to impose anti dumping duty on Chinese machineries to curb their unrestricted imports which is seriously  affecting domestic units. The machinery manufacturers have also made several recommendations  to the union commerce ministry to boost the  sector.  

The pharma machinery manufacturing industry leaders have asked  the government to frame some regulatory framework so that the Indian pharma machinery should also meet the WHO-GMP standards set for the pharma manufacturing sector. Other recommendations include R&D support, export promotion schemes, funding for foreign market development, financing and risk coverage for exports to under developed countries, relaxations for import of design and technology, education on patent laws and procedure to protect designs.

The machinery manufacturers also demanded that the pharma machineries should be included in bilateral agreements with LAC countries, European and other countries for duty free imports at buyer’s end and removal of embargo by Pakistan on pharma machinery to be pursued on a priority basis.

There are around 800 pharmaceutical machine manufacturing and allied utility service units in the small and medium sector. An entire range of manufacturing facilities is being catered by the sector which includes processing, packaging, material handling, R&D equipment & instrumentation, and API/bulk drug plant machineries.

According to a survey this year, pharma machinery industry which is growing at 15 to 20 per cent annually has registered an estimated business revenue of around Rs. 6000 crore out of which Rs. 1800 crore account for exports.