New Delhi, Thursday 25 Sept 2008: The government is likely to temporarily ban the import of Chinese dairy products in India in the wake of the detection of high levels of kidney stone causing industrial chemical melamine that has affected thousands of children in China.

The ban will remain in force for three months with immediate effect, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade said in a notification last night.

The Chinese government has already banned these milk products and has ordered their withdrawal from its domestic market.

More than a dozen countries in Asia and Africa have already banned milk and dairy product imports from China while several others have recalled the products suspected to be contaminated.

China exported dairy products worth 359 mn dollars last year.

The ban on milk and milk products comes two days after the government slapped a similar prohibition on poultry and meat products from Avian Influenza-affected countries.

All State governments, airports and seaports have been alerted to intensify testing of these products at the Central Revenue Chemical Laboratories before allowing them in.

While India does not import milk products from China, the ban is being seen as a preventive measure.