The Hindu Business Line : Sensitive items' import up 31% in April-Dec

IMPORT of 300 sensitive tariff lines, which the Commerce Ministry is monitoring in the wake of removal of quantitative restrictions or import curbs two years ago, has shown a spurt of 31 per cent during the first three quarters of the current fiscal at Rs 13,541 crore, compared with Rs 10,329 crore in the corresponding months of 2002.

While the gross import of all commodities during the same period of the current fiscal was Rs 2,55,397 crore (Rs 2,14,262 crore), import of 300 sensitive items constitute only 4.8 per cent and 5.3 per cent of the gross imports during last year and current fiscal, respectively. The major item that has contributed markedly to the growth is crude palm oil and its fraction, an official release said.

Import of spices and tea and coffee has displayed a decline at broad group level during the period. Import of edible oil, cotton and silk, fruits and vegetables, automobiles, rubber, milk and milk products, alcoholic beverages, small-scale industry and other products has shown increase during the period under review.

In the edible oil section, the import has increased to Rs 8,954 crore (Rs 6,459 crore). However, the significant feature of edible oil import is that though import of crude oil has gone up by 30 per cent that of refined palm oil and palmolein has increased by 89 per cent. Percentage share of crude to the total edible oil remains as high as 80 per cent indicating a better utilisation of the processing capacity in the country. Import of soyabean, crude oil, kernel/Babasu crude oil and sunflower crude oil has also gone up marginally.

Import of sensitive items from Indonesia, Malaysia, Argentina, the US, Egypt, Thailand, Mali, Greece, Guinea Bisu, Cote D' Ivoire, Benin and Korea have gone up while those from Czech Republic, Sri Lanka, Switzerland and Australia has shown some decrease.

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