India plans to offer duty free market access to export products from Uganda, the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh recently announced.

Seven poor countries, including Cambodia, Tanzania and Ethiopia, are already benefiting from the tariff preference scheme announced in April this year.

Letters of intent (LoIs) for availing duty free market access have been received from 10 least developed countries (LDCs). Customs notification for implementation of the scheme has been issued for seven of them, an official statement said.

The letters of intent received from three other LDCs – Madagascar, Rwanda and Uganda – are under process, it said.

Under the Duty Free Tariff Preference (DFTP) Scheme, India offers duty free access to LDCs with regard to 94 per cent of its tariff lines to be implemented in five years. It is open to all 49 LDC members, including 33 in Africa. Products of interest to Africa include cotton, cocoa, aluminum ores, copper ores, cashew nuts, sugarcane, ready-made garments, fish fillets and non-industrial diamonds.

- The Independent

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