India surplus in face masks manufacturing, permit exports: Trade tells govt

With India’s surplus face masks capability choking manufacturing strains, the medical system trade has requested the federal government to raise the ban on export of non-N95 face masks to assist producers clear unsold inventories and resume manufacturing at full capability.

The federal government had in March banned export of every kind of masks to keep away from any scarcity within the nation at a time when the COVID-19 outbreak had began gaining momentum. Final month, it allowed export of non-medical and non-surgical masks fabricated from cotton, silk, wool and knitted supplies however export of all medical and surgical masks remained prohibited.

With producers ramping up manufacturing of face masks because the outbreak of COVID-19, India has was a surplus nation choking manufacturing strains.

“We request you to kindly intervene for opening up exports of surgical three-layer masks aside from N95/N95 respirator masks as presently we’ve got surplus capability mendacity with producers,” the Affiliation of Indian Medical Machine Trade wrote to the federal government.

The capability with producers is greater than sufficient to cater to the home requirement.

“These producers are stopping or slowing down manufacturing because the final 15-20 days as they’ve unsold stock and falling demand and falling market costs,” it wrote.

India, in accordance with the affiliation, has a manufacturing capability of 1.5 billion three-layer masks and after accounting for home demand, the excess capability is 532.03 million.

Out of a producing capability of 59.four million items of four-layer masks, 1.9 million is spare capability. Equally, the nation has 5.05 million surplus capability of reusable/washable masks. It has a manufacturing capability of 31.2 million items of N95 masks, of which 1.05 million is surplus, it stated.

It listed 43 main producers of face masks within the nation and detailed their manufacturing capability and surplus.

“There may be additionally extra capability being added with…imported machines. There could also be different producers not listed with us,” the affiliation wrote.

It sought the intervention of the chairman of the Empowered Committee of Important Medical Tools and secretary, Division of Prescribed drugs for opening up the exports of surgical masks to stability provide and demand in addition to for India to emerge because the second nation on the earth for masks after China.

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