After Minimum Import Price, govt issues Quality Control Order to curb imports of cheap, sub-standard screws

The Union Government has taken a fresh initiative to curb the import of cheap and substandard screws by issuing a Quality Control Order (QCO), outlining 14 Indian standards for screws. Under this order, screws cannot be produced, sold, traded, imported, or stocked without the BIS mark.

Titled the “Cross Recessed Screws (Quality Control) Order,” the notification was issued by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) on September 17 and will take effect in March 2025.

Currently, India imports 10,000 to 12,000 tons of screws from China at a price of ₹100 per kg.

Welcoming the move, the Northern India Screw Manufacturers and Traders Association expects imports from China to decrease.

In January, the Union Government imposed a ban on the import of screws priced lower than ₹129 per kg.

The President of the Association, Vishal Mahajan, noted that the influx of cheap screws from China over the past 15 years has led to the closure of 4,000 Indian units.

He stated that screws were being imported illegally and were cleared through customs at an under-invoiced price of ₹25 to ₹35 per kg.

He explained that while the raw materials for screws are covered under BIS standards, they are available ₹20-₹25 per kg cheaper in China.

Additionally, China has been exporting finished screws to India at prices ₹30-35 per kg cheaper, as these products were not previously included under BIS standards.

Mahajan expressed hope that the new order will improve conditions for local manufacturers.

QCOs are issued in accordance with the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT).

The DPIIT has issued QCOs since 1987, with 81 orders now covering over 330 products under the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Act.

These goods include items such as cement, LPG stoves, pressure cookers, air conditioners, and refrigerators.