LPAI to start testing facility at land ports to ensure quality of imported consumables items
Aug 08, 2023
New Delhi [India], August 8 : The Lands and Ports Authority of India (LPAI) will shortly launch product testing services at the land ports to keep an eye on the quality of imported goods, particularly consumables.
The document accessed by ANI reads that a major part of the operations at Land Ports is verification/certification of the quality of goods, especially consumables items.
Goods testing is currently done in partnership with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and other agencies, however, the services provided by them are not available at the land ports.
As some of the Land Ports are located at remote locations, sending samples from the land port to testing labs and getting the results takes a lot of time.
To reduce the standby time for the testing of goods, LPAI intends to engage service providers for providing goods testing facilities at its Land Ports.
The purpose of setting up laboratories at the land ports for testing export and import terms and analysing samples received from port authorities for testing.
"This helps provide detailed reports to the authorities within a limited time frame. It maintains a database for the samples collected and reports. If any goods are identified that are banned or not authorised they are to be reported to authorities immediately. Apart from EXIM goods, service providers will be permitted to test other goods," the document reads.
LPAI is the notified agency for undertaking the development and operations of Integrated Check Posts (ICPs)/Land Ports for cross-border trade and passenger movement through the land with the neighbouring countries, it reads.
At Present LPAI operates 11 Land Ports at major trade routes with land neighbours. LPAI is further undertaking development works at 14 sanctioned land ports and plans to operationalise over 60 more land ports in the near future under the “Sambandh Setu” initiative.
At present items like dry fruits, edible oil, carbonated beverages, organic products and others items imported from neighbouring countries through land ports in Attari, Agartala, Petrapole, Raxaul, Jogbani, Moreh, Sutarkandi, Srimantapur, Dawki and Rupaidiha, it reads.
