The Hindu Business Line : Sensitive items import up 12% in Apr-Nov 2007

New Delhi, Jan. 23 Even as rupee appreciation against the dollar has helped importers, this is reflected in the import of sensitive items too, being monitored by the Commerce Ministry as such imports rose by 12 per cent during the first seven months of the current fiscal.

Total import of sensitive items for the period April to November 2007 has been Rs 18,702 crore, as against Rs 16,726 crore during the corresponding period of last year, showing an increase of 11.8 per cent.

The gross import of all commodities during the same period of he current fiscal was Rs 6,12,357 crore, as compared to Rs 5,44,674 crore during the same period of 2006. Import of sensitive items, however, constitute 3.07 per cent and 3.05 per cent of the gross imports during last year and current year respectively.

The items whose imports showed increase include edible oil, fruits and vegetable (including nuts), cotton and silk, foodgrains, automobile, products of small scale industries and rubber.

Automobiles imports grew by 90.4 per cent to Rs 744.67 crore from Rs 391.14 crore in April-November 2006 , while fruits and vegetables imports shot up from Rs 5,257.14 crore to Rs 5,790.31 crore during this period. Alcoholic beverages and tea and coffee have also shown increase during the period under review.

Imports of spices, marble and granite and milk and milk products have, however, registered a decline at broad group level during the period.

Oil imports

In the edible oil segment, the import has increased form Rs 7,304 crore last year to Rs 8,024 crore. Import of both crude oil as well as refined oil has gone up by 9.1 per cent and 15.8 per cent respectively. The increase in edible oil import is attributable to the significant growth in import of crude palm oil and its fractions, which have gone up by 16 per cent.

An official release issued here said that imports of sensitive items from Indonesia, Canada, China, United States, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Germany, Thailand, Japan and Guinea Bissau have gone up while those form Argentina, Myanmar, Russia, Malaysia, Cote d’ Ivoire, Australia, Benin have shown a decline.