India, the world's largest milk producer, has banned import of dairy products from China

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to ward off threat of the contaminated whitener that has killed four infants and made several thousands ill in that country.

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

Melamine, used for making plastics and fertilizer, was found in infant milk and other dairy products of several Chinese firms. The dangerous chemical can cause kidney stones as well as failure of the organ.

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 million 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.

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

"There is no clarity on import figures. Officially, India does not import any milk or milk products from China but it does get Chinese milk products through third countries. The ban is essentially a preventive measure," Indian Dairy Association President N R Bhasin said.

India is the world's largest producer of milk with an output of 102 million tons in 2007-08. The country has lined up a big investment of Rs 17,000 crore to scale up production to 160-180 million tons by 2021.