New Delhi, August 3 (KNN) Union Minister of Commerce & Industry (Independent Charge) Nirmala Sitharaman today said that with regard to export of fake and counterfeit goods, the Customs Department is following all the procedures and directions issued by the Government to check this.

She said that field formations are advised from time to time to maintain strict vigil and check/examine export consignments thoroughly in order to prevent such fake exports.

According to a study by OECD (Organisation Economic Cooperation and Development) and the European Union’s Intellectual Property Office, titled “Trade in Counterfeit and pirated goods: Mapping the Economic Impact” (published in April, 2016), international trade in counterfeit and pirated products represents up to 2.5% of world trade in 2013.

According to the OECD report, postal parcels are the most popular way of shipping counterfeit and pirated product. Between 2011 and 2013, an average of almost 62% of seizures worldwide concerned postal shipments. A perusal of the Report shows that in terms of number of counterfeit shipments seized, India ranked 6th as an originating country of such shipments for the years 2011, 2012 and 2013 accounting, respectively, for 1.46%, 0.83% and 1.16% of the total number of shipments seized during these years. 

Apart from CBEC, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has informed that with a view to check export of counterfeit drugs, it has notified the procedure for implementation of the Track and Trace system for export of pharmaceutical and drug consignments on 1st April, 2015.

The information was given by Sitharaman in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today. (KNN Bureau)