Duty Free Timber Import Allowed from Bhutan after Methyl Bromide Fumigation
and Heat Treatment
1.
The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers
Welfare has issued S.O. 4770(E) dated 25 August 2026, further
amending the Plant Quarantine (Regulation of Import into India) Order, 2003.
2.
The amendment is called the Plant Quarantine
(Regulation of Import into India) (Seventh Amendment) Order, 2026 and came
into force from the date of publication in the Official Gazette.
3.
Alnus nepalensis timber
wood has been added under Serial No. 17 of Schedule VI,
with Bhutan as the country of origin.
4.
Lagerstroemia parviflora timber wood has been
added under Serial No. 190, also permitting imports from Bhutan.
5.
Acacia catechu (Khari) has been
added under Serial No. 433 for timber/wood with or without bark, with Bhutan
specified as the country of origin.
6.
The amendment additionally introduces 14 new
timber species (S. Nos. 794–807) from Bhutan, including Acrocarpus fraxinifolius, Altingia excelsa, Betula utilis, Beilschmiedia
roxburghiana, Castanopsis hystrix, Cupressus cashmeriana, Duabanga
grandiflora, Exbucklandia populnea,
Engelhardia spicata, Populus ciliata,
Schima wallichii, Syzigium cumini, Tetrameles nudiflora and Toona
ciliata.
7.
Phytosanitary treatment is mandatory for
these timber imports. The prescribed options include:
o
Methyl bromide fumigation at 48 g/m³ for 24
hours at 21°C or above; or
o
Heat treatment at 56°C core temperature for 30
minutes; or
o
Any other treatment approved by the Plant
Protection Adviser to the Government of India.
8.
The treatment must be endorsed on the
Phytosanitary Certificate issued by the country of origin/re-export.
9.
Key implication: The notification expands the
list of Bhutan-origin timber species eligible for import into India,
while maintaining specified plant-health safeguards through mandatory treatment
and phytosanitary certification.