The ban has been in place since September 2008 and was due to expire a few days before the end of 2011. However, an official notice on India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade website (dated 26 December) has extended the ban until 24 June 2012.
The notice says the ban issued on milk and milk products from China also includes chocolates and chocolate products, candies, confectionery, and any other kind of food that contains milk or milk solids.
Although the DGFT does not specify the reasons for the extension to the ban, it’s widely believed that the Indian government is concerned about the latest milk contamination incident in China.
A batch of milk from Mengniu Dairy Group was found to contain aflatoxin, which is known to cause liver cancer. It is believed the aflatoxin was caused by rotten forage.
Source: India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade
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