The government has exempted imports of specialised copper products used in the automotive, electrical and consumer industry from quality control orders (QCO) for a year till December 2026.
The copper products exempted from the Copper Products (Quality Control) Order, 2024 are high purity copper rods, strips and sheets and its alloys containing beryllium, zirconium and other rare metals.
What does the new order signal?
With this order the user industry can import these metals from overseas sources not registered with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) under the OCOs. This will widen their supplier base and reduce costs. The exemption has been allowed as these specialised copper products are not available in adequate quantity and required quality from domestic sources.
The imports for exempted products is only for specific end use and end users. The importers will also have to submit a plan for indigenization of goods or articles to the government, according to the order.
Who is likely to benefit from this order?
The users that will be benefited from the order by Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) are makers of generators, automotive battery packs and wiring harness for the automotive industry.
For chillers, air-conditioning systems and electrical applications imports of copper tubes have been allowed without undergoing the process mandated under the QCO.