New Delhi, Mar 27 (KNN) The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has recently restricted the import of pepper below CIF Rs.5OO while it has made import of pepper over and above CIF (Cost, insurance, freight) Rs 500 per kilogram free.

The items for which these restrictions have been put are Pepper, long, Black Pepper garbled, Black Pepper un-garbled, Green Pepper dehydrated, Pepper Pinheads, Green Pepper frozen or dried, Pepper other than green frozen, other crushed or ground.

Until now, the import of the above mentioned items had been free under the policy, but the amendment has now listed it under ‘prohibited’.

If MIP (Minimum Import Price) is less than Rs 500 a kg, import is prohibited. Earlier, this could have been adjusted by paying a fine.

Besides, imports under the advanced authorization scheme is free and exempt from the MIP condition where import is for extraction of oleoresin or for re-export by the manufacturer-exporters only, subject to certain conditions.