Pharma body recommends two more seaports for exports

Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council (Pharmexcil), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has recommended two new ports - Krishnapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and Kattupalli in Tamil Nadu - for export and import of drugs.

Pharmexcil Director General PV Appaji said the body has requested the ministries of Commerce and Health, besides Drug Controller General of India to notify these ports for import and export of drugs under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

"These two are additional ports to the existing ones. We have recommended Krishnapatnam also to be notified as an official port for import and export of pharmaceuticals," Appaji told PTI.

"There is a separate notification required for handling drugs. We have recommended to the Ministry of Health, DCGI and also we have recommended to the Ministry of Commerce. The other new port we have recommended is at Kattupalli managed by L&T near Chennai," he said.

As per the information available, DCGI may authorise the ports to start handling pharma products pending a notification for the ministries concerned, he said.

"We are trying to convince him (the DCGI) to utilise his discretionary power and help pharma exporters," he said, adding that a decision in this regard is expected in two to three months.

According to him, currently two-thirds of the total pharma exports from India are being carried out from seaports while the rest are by air and other means. The total Indian pharma exports for 2013-14 stood at Rs 90,000 crore.

Currently, Visakhapatnam sea port in AP handles pharma products.

On the proposed World Pharma Trade Centre at Hyderabad, Appaji said the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh government had offered three acres of land for the purpose and negotiations are on with the Telangana government to take it forward.

Pharma exports from United Andhra Pradesh were about 30% of total Rs 90,000 crore exports from India. Andhra Pradesh (united) with nearly Rs 30,000 crore exports used to be in the second position after Maharashtra in terms of overall pharma exports.

Appaji said the exports from Andhra Pradesh could be in the range of Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 crore. Some companies are enquiring about "special incentives" announced for Andhra Pradesh for setting up industries, he said.