INDIA
The import battle between India and Vietnam appears to have come to an end. Multiple sources report that both countries have canceled bans issued in early March.
The Indian government in March stopped importing several commodities, notably robusta coffee beans and black pepper, from Vietnam. That restriction was lifted March 21 at the request of the Vietnamese government.
At the same time, Vietnam announced it would be lift import restrictions on five agricultural products from India. The duel prevented Indian roasters from securing coffee beans and caused pepper prices in Vietnam to drop to multi-year lows. Other banned products included bamboo and bamboo toothpicks, cinnamon, cassia, and dragon fruit.
Products blocked from entry into Vietnam included Indian peanuts, cassia alata seeds, cocoa beans, French bean seeds and tamarind. The government cited peanut beetle contamination as the reason for the ban.
India often buys Vietnam’s low-quality robusta coffee beans for processing into instant coffee.