New Delhi, Feb 5: Senior officials of the Commerce Ministry on Tuesday advised Indian industry to apply themselves to the task of determining the stance that India should take in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on liberalizing trade in remanufactured goods.

The issue of liberalizing trade in remanufactured goods under market access for non-agricultural products (NAMA) has come to the fore following the circulation of a US paper to the negotiating group on market access.

Additional Secretary of the Commerce and Industry Ministry and India’s chief negotiator at the WTO, Rahul Khullar, told industry representatives at the FICCI meeting that while the issue of safety, dumping and unfair price competition were matters of concern in liberalizing trade in remanufactured goods, industry would have to ask itself whether India, which does not have big brands as yet, would have an interest export in such goods.

The developed countries, Khullar pointed out, have big brands and they would be only too keen to have market access in large consuming countries like India for selling remanufactured goods that are as good as new at half the cost.

Amarendra Khatua, Joint Secretary, the Commerce and Industry Ministry, said there was need to look at remanufacturing as a holistic and futuristic concept, address the definitional aspect and examine India’s potential in the area before the country’s position can be concretised for negotiations.

Such industry consultations, he said, would greatly help the government in arriving at an informed decision for taking it up at the Doha Round.

A majority of representatives from sectors such as automobiles, computer hardware, electronics, engineering, apparels, tyres, earthmoving equipment said that the distinction between remanufactured goods and brand new goods was hazy; there was need to be vigilant against dumping of foreign remanufactured goods; and emphasized the need to clarify the definition of recycling and remanufacture. (ANI)