Indian ministry proposes nonferrous metal import monitoring system

The Ministry of Mines of India is reportedly setting up a proposed system to monitor and track imported aluminum and copper arriving in India. It is not yet clear whether scrap shipments will be included in the system.

A report on the CNBC-TV18 website says the ministry is touting the system as a way to bring “transparency and accountability in pricing and quality of [metal] imports,” and the ministry is “at an advanced stage of the process” to introduce the monitoring system.

The article indicates the system could be similar to the existing Steel Import Monitoring System that was put in place in November 2019. In that process, more than 280 steel items are “monitored for value, volume and quality technicalities, along with the country of origin,” says CNBC.

The proposal for nonferrous metal involves monitoring the import of more than 40 aluminum items and more than 45 types of copper or copper alloys. “The ministry has already held consultations with various stakeholders for this purpose,” according to the report.

The CNBC article states, “It is not very clear if the monitoring system will include aluminum scrap, which is mostly exported by developed countries.” The report estimates that in the 2019 fiscal year, some 170 billion Indian rupees ($2.275 billion) worth of aluminum scrap arrived at Indian ports.

If the ministry does approve the nonferrous system, the next step will be review and potential approval from India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade.