The Hindu Business Line : Sensitive items imports up by 11 pc in April-May

Sensitive items being monitored by the Commerce Ministry due to their adverse effect on local prices registered a high growth of 11 per cent growth during the first two months of the current fiscal at Rs 2,792 crore, against Rs 2,524 crore n April-May 2005.

An official release issued here said imports of spices, tea and coffee and alcoholic beverages have shown a decline at broad group level during the period under study, while imports of edible oil, fruits and vegetables (including nuts), cotton and silk products of small-scale industries, rubber, automobiles, marble and granite and milk and milk products have revealed increase during the period of study.

Spurt in edible oil

In the edible oil segment, the imports have increased form Rs 1,244 crore last year to Rs 1,590 crore for the corresponding two months of this year. A notable feature of edible oil import is that import of crude oil has gone up by 41.6 per cent and that of refined oil has come down by 46.7 per cent. The spurt in edible oil import is mainly ascribable to significant increases in import of soyabean oil and its fractions, which has gone up by 103 per cent and crude palm oil and its fractions, which has gone up by 14 per cent.

Imports of sensitive items from Indonesia, Argentina, US, China, Sri Lanka, Cote d'Ivoire, Germany, Japan, Australia and Afghanistan have gone up while imports from Malaysia, Brazil, Egypt, Benin, Vietnam have shown a decrease.

The gross import of all commodities during the first two months of the current fiscal was Rs 1,16,523 crore (Rs 91,595 crore), while the import of sensitive items constitutes 2.8 per cent (2.4 per cent) of the gross imports.

More Stories on : Economy | Exports & Imports

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Rain in South to sustain for 4 more days

Sensitive items imports up by 11 pc in April-May

57 M&As in Jan-Aug

AAI may raise Rs 4,000 cr for modernisation

Crude continues to slide on slowing economy

Volkswagen drives into Maharashtra

Can't afford computers? Just buy more mice!

GE picks HCL to set up development centres

Gold prices nosedive

Sensex sheds 368 on weak global trend

Sun Pharma under close watch

Monnet Ispat: Up on coal sourcing

HSBC to tap card venture to extend `merchant loans'

`Animation edge? Bangalore has IT too!'