Govt to make BIS certification compulsory for VSF imports used in textiles manufacturing

The Textile Ministry is likely to make BIS certification mandatory by issuing a Quality Control Order (QCO) on import of Viscose Staple Fibre (VSF) to curb its low-quality imports.

It is a man-made bio-degradable fibre used for manufacturing various textiles.

Seeking comments of interested World Trade Organisation member countries within 60 days, the Textile Ministry has notified the draft VSF QCO 2022 on Thursday, reported The Hindu Business Line (HBL).

A year ago, anti-dumping duties on import of VSF from China and Indonesia were revoked to protect domestic textile industry.

Domestic production of VSF is mostly done by Grasim Industries, which is the dominant producer of the fibre in the country.

After consultations with the Synthetic & Rayon Textiles Export Promotion Council (SRTEPC) and the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI)) and other industry bodies a draft QCO for VSF has been formulated by the Ministry.