India eyes ghee for cheese in UK FTA

Traceability of ghee a stumbling block for trade negotiators

- Minir Mishra & Suneera Tandon

India is trying to pry open the UK market for ghee in exchange for bringing the latter's blue cheese to the Indian market, under the proposed free trade pact being negotiated by the two countries, an official aware of the matter said.

Trade negotiators have pressed the UK to waive its sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) rules to let in ghee and other dairy products, which remain shut from the British market.

This is because these food safety rules insist on traceability of goods a hard task in India where large dairy co-operatives source their milk from millions of individual cattle farmers and small dairy farms.

"The demand is to get SPS waiver for Indian ghee, which will provide for its entry into the UK market. This is being sought since India is considering allowing cheese under the free trade agreement (FTA), which will provide a big market to their blue cheese," the official cited above said on condition of anonymity.

Emails sent to a commerce ministry spokesperson and commerce secretary Sunil Barthwal on Friday were unanswered till press time.