The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has issued two new notifications aimed at regulating the import of certain precious metal alloys and chemical compounds.
As per the notification issued on 17 June, the government has restricted the import of alloys of palladium, rhodium and iridium containing more than 1 % gold by weight. This expands the earlier restriction on platinum imports (issued on 5 March 2025) to cover the entire Customs Tariff Heading (CTH) 7110 at the 4-digit level, ensuring a uniform import policy across precious metals and their alloys.
However, the import of alloys containing less than 1 % gold remains unrestricted, thereby safeguarding the interests of key industrial sectors such as electronics, automotive components, and specialised chemical manufacturing. This calibrated policy aims to strike a balance between trade facilitation and regulatory oversight.
In a related move, DGFT has also issued another notification restricting the import of colloidal metals and certain compounds under CTH 2843. The restriction is intended to curb the misuse of chemical imports for bringing gold into the country in disguised forms.
To support genuine industrial needs, imports under CTH 2843 will be permitted against an import authorisation, specifically for sectors such as electronics, electrical, and chemical manufacturing.
Detailed notifications are available on the DGFT website at https://dgft.gov.in.
