In the light of reports of a significant increase in inbound shipments from countries like China and Vietnam, the Union government has put restrictions on the import of Agarbatti and other similar products to India. Restrictions have also been imposed on imports of other odoriferous preparations used for deodorizing room.
Now importers of these goods require a licence from the government. In a notification, Directorate General of Foreign Trade said, import policy of Agarbatti and other odoriferous preparations have been revised from free to restricted.
The Rs 6,000-crore domestic agarbatti industry in 2018 imported around Rs 800 crore worth of incense sticks, including round bamboo sticks and raw agarbattis (sans perfume), which have led to a decline in the number of agarbatti projects and loss of employment in the sector.
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