New Delhi, June 10 (PTI) - The government on Wednesday decided to continue the export curbs only on specific diagnostic kits, reagents, and instruments such as swabs sterile synthetic fibre, silicon columns and magnetic stand, amid the coronavirus outbreak.

In a notification, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said all other diagnostic kits/reagents/instruments/apparatus are freely exportable subject to submission of an undertaking by the exporter to the customs authorities at the time of export.

On April 4, DGFT had put restrictions on exports of all diagnostic kits and reagents. The move was aimed at dealing with the COVID-19 crisis as these products are required for testing of patients.

Reagents are substances or mixtures that are used in a chemical analysis.

Putting a product under the restricted category means that an exporter would require a licence from DGFT for outbound shipments.

Amending the notification dated April 4, it said only specified diagnostic kits/reagents/ instruments/apparatus "are restricted for exports whether as an individual item or as a part of any diagnostic kits/reagent".

The other products which are still under restricted category include VTM kits, RNA extraction kits, RT-PCR kits and reagents, 15mn falcon tube, beads, probes (specific for Covid-19 testing), and reverse transcriptase enzymes.

Related Notification - Amendment in Export Policy of Diagnostic Kits/Laboratory Reagents/Diagnostic Apparatus.

Export curbs limited to specific diagnostic kits; other testing supplies freely exportable with exporter undertaking at export. Export controls now target only expressly listed diagnostic kits, reagents, instruments and apparatus used in COVID 19 testing; those listed (including VTM kits, RNA extraction kits, RT PCR kits and reagents, falcon tubes, beads, probes specific to COVID 19 testing, reverse transcriptase enzymes, sterile swabs, silicon columns and magnetic stands) remain restricted for export, while all other diagnostic items are freely exportable subject to an exporter undertaking submitted to customs at export.