India and China on Wednesday signed a protocol on hygiene and inspection requirements for the export of fish meal and fish oil from India to China that will enable India to commence export of fish meal and fish oil to China.
The protocol formalises a consensus reached by both sides on hygiene and inspection requirements of fish meal and fish oil to be exported from India to China.
China imports fish oil worth around $143 million annually, and fish meal to the tune of $263 million, and signing of the protocol between the two countries will help Indian exporters to tap the Chinese market.
The protocol was signed during a visit by vice minister of general administration of customs of China (GACC), Hu Wei, who led a six-member delegation to India to discuss various issues of market access for different products like milk and milk products, agricultural products like soy meal, fruits and vegetables, tobacco and pharmaceutical products for which India has been seeking market access from China.
Both Indian and Chinese sides appreciated each other’s concerns and agreed to resolve the market access issues expeditiously so as to promote a more balanced trade.
This is the second Indian product to get clearance from China over the past six months. A few months ago, during the meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Wuhan, a protocol for export of Indian rice to China was signed.