‘Govt intervention sought to combat hair smuggling’

Hyderabad: The Indian Human Hair & Hair Products Exporters Association has raised concerns over the illegal transportation of raw human hair from India to Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Nepal. The association appealed to Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday, seeking measures to curb this illicit trade, which is impacting domestic manufacturers.
In a letter to the finance minister, the association outlined the challenges posed by smuggling activities. Despite regulatory action by the Ministry of commerce & industry, including export authorisations, illegal exports continue across the borders. The association argues that these unauthorized exports are leading to a scarcity of high-quality raw human hair, a crucial input for India's hair product industry, thereby affecting competitiveness in international markets.
Srinivas Gupta, a human hair exporter, told TOI that the unchecked smuggling of raw human hair is causing disruptions in the supply chain to China. He added, "Domestic manufacturers are struggling to procure quality raw material, which is pushing up costs and reducing their ability to compete with global players."
The exporters urged the govt to impose a total ban on the export of raw human hair to ensure that local manufacturers have enough access to quality material. It suggested levying an export duty of 15–20% on raw human hair to discourage illegal trade while ensuring regulated and legitimate exports.
It recommended that the export policy be amended to set a Free on Board (FOB) value of at least USD 100 per kilogram for raw human hair.
The appeal also draws attention to China's incentive model, where the govt provides a 16% export incentive to hair product manufacturers.
The association has urged the Indian govt to introduce a Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme to support domestic exporters, improve competitiveness, and increase foreign exchange earnings.