New Delhi: The traders and importers who had placed their orders in November and December last year are yet to receive a chunk of their consignments. The unprecedented delay in delivery is due to the shutting down of Chinese borders in January and February, followed by the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent lockdown in India which lasted for about two months beginning March 25.
Official data reveal India’s imports from China during the April-August period of the current financial year stood at $21.58 billion-a drop of 27.63 per cent, compared to the corresponding period in the previous year.
“Chunks of orders placed by our traders in December last year are still to arrive. The goods have not yet reached as China was initially closed due to coronavirus and subsequently from March 25, India went into a stringent lockdown for about two months. So, a great deal of Chinese goods — essentially electronics and electrical items, gifts, toys, footwear, home and kitchen appliances — still lying at the ports. Thus there could be a slight increase in the inflow of Chinese goods in the coming quarter,” Praveen Khandelwal, secretary general, Confederation of All India Traders (Cait) said.
However, Khandelwal said that traders have not placed fresh orders with China for these items since March.
