India and China have not entered into any agreement for exporting Indian tobacco to China.  However, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India   has signed a Protocol of Phytosanitary requirements for the export of tobacco from India to China with the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC) on 21.01.2019. It is expected that signing of said protocol will push overall export of FCV tobacco, primarily produced in the State of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, to China.  The salient features of the protocol are as under:

The protocol was signed on 21.01.2019 and the same will be in force for a period of four years from the date of signing of the protocol.

The tobacco leaves exported to China, which must be produced in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka in India and have been cured and re-dried, must comply with the relevant phytosanitary and sanitary laws and regulations of China, and meet the requirements as stipulated in the Protocol.

The importers of tobacco must obtain the import quarantine permit from GACC before trade contracts are signed. The tobacco leaves must be securely packaged in airproof way to prevent the contamination of quarantine pests.

Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (MOA&FW) will take effective monitoring measures in the field to ensure that the tobacco producing area is free of tobacco blue mold.

MOA&FW shall conduct export quarantine inspection for tobacco leaves.  For the consignment of tobacco leaves which meets the requirement stipulated in this protocol, MOA&FW shall issue a Phytosanitary Certificate according to the standards of International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC).

This information was given by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Hardeep Singh Puriin a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.

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Phytosanitary protocol secures tobacco exports by linking export certification to importer quarantine permits and inspection compliance. A Phytosanitary Protocol between India's Ministry of Agriculture and China's customs authority conditions export of cured and re-dried FCV tobacco from Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka on compliance with Chinese phytosanitary laws, secure airproof packaging, and import quarantine permits obtained before contracts are signed. The Ministry will monitor for tobacco blue mold, conduct export quarantine inspections, and issue Phytosanitary Certificates under IPPC standards for consignments meeting the Protocol's requirements.