Circular No. 40/99-Custom Duty Dated 28/6/1999

F.No. 305/64/99-FTT

Government of India
Ministry of Finance
Department of Revenue
(Central Board of Excise & Customs), New Delhi

Subject :  Functioning of Private/Public Bonded Warehouse under Paragraph 8.13 of the Exim Policy 1997-2002.  Allowing the Activities of Mixing Sieving, Assortment & Cleaning etc. in  respect of Imported Cut & Polished Diamond and Cut & Polished Coloured Gemstones in the Bonded, Warehouse – regarding.

    A doubt has arisen as to whether the activities like mixing, sieving, assortment and cleaning etc. in respect of imported cut and polished diamonds and cut and polished coloured gemstones can be allowed to be carried out in the private/public bonded warehouses set-up under Paragraph 8.13 of the Import and Export Policy, 1997-2002, before being re-exported.

2. The issue has been examined in consultation with the Ministry of Commerce and they have clarified that the activities of mixing, sieving, assortment and cleaning etc. are allowed in respect of imported cut and polished diamonds and cut & polished coloured gemstones in the private/public bonded warehouses set up under paragraph 8.13 of the Exim Policy. This would enable the exporter to achieve value addition norms of minimum 5% as stipulated in the said Policy. However, the activities of mixing, sieving, assortment and cleaning would be restricted to individual consignment only and mixing of different consignments for the purpose of carrying out the activities of assortment, sieving and cleaning shall not be permitted.

3. You are requested to kindly issue suitable instructions to the field formations under your charge and problems, if any, faced during implementation may kindly be brought to the notice of the Board.