The Centre has allowed five additional items to the list of goods exempted from customs duty for import through border trade with China from Nathula in Sikkim after six years.

The five additional items are readymade garments, shoes, quilts, blankets, carpets and local herbal medicines for import from the Tibetan Autonomous Region from this trading season, an official press release said on Wednesday.

All the five items of export were brought within the purview of exemption of duty under Custom Tariff Act, it said.

Welcoming it, the Nathula Border Trade Welfare Association general secretary, Mr Lakpa Sherpa, said that they were informed about it at a meeting with officials of the Commerce and Industries Department during the day.

We are thankful to the Department and the State Government for having followed up our request and are very happy with the development, he said.