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Singapore has asked India to remove 752 trade items ranging from condensed milk to shrimps and a whole range of fabrics and yarns from its 'negative list' of imports under the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement and bring these under the tariff liberalisation scheme.
As part of the Agreement for Trade in Goods under the India-Singapore CECA, of the total 11,650 tariff lines, 5,099 lines (or 44 per cent) were offered for tariff liberalisation by New Delhi.
In order to safeguard the domestic industry and address India's sensitivities in agriculture and other sectors, 6,551 tariff lines (or 56 per cent) were put in the negative list. This list implies that the commodities and goods specified in it are not subject to any tariff reduction programme.
During the recent bilateral meeting to review the progress of implementation of the CECA, Singapore suggested that the existing negative list be reviewed.
Subsequently, it sent a list of 752 items for which it had sought complete elimination of duties, officials said. The commerce ministry has now asked various related ministries to look into the list of items proposed to be removed from the negative list and send in their comments. A communication to this effect was sent last week by the ministry.
Singapore sought a reduction in the number of items in the negative list even in the run-up to the finalisation of the CECA.
However, India expressed its reluctance to prune the list following representations by various sectors, including the petrochemical industry.
It now remains to be seen as to how much of the current list is agreed upon by the two countries. A larger dimension to this is the ongoing public debate over the impact of free-trade agreements that India has signed or is planning to sign.
