Press Information Bureau

Government of India

Ministry of Commerce & Industry

06-January-2012 16:52 IST

Import of sensitive items during April-October 2011

Total import of sensitive items for the period April-October 2011 has been Rs.57399 crores as compared to Rs.40486 crores during the corresponding period of last year thereby showing an increase of 41.8%. The gross import of all commodities during same period of current year was Rs.1251948 crores as compared to Rs.955937 crores during the same period of last year. Thus import of sensitive items constitutes 4.2% and 4.6% of the gross imports during last year and current year respectively.

Imports of  milk & milk products and food grains have declined at broad group level during the period. Imports of all other items viz. edible oil, automobiles, fruits & vegetables (including nuts), pulses, rubber, cotton & silk, products of SSI, spices, marble & granite, alcoholic beverages and tea & coffee have increased during the period under reference.

  In the edible oil segment, the import has increased from Rs.15882.0 crores last year to Rs.26621.5 crores for the corresponding period of this year. The imports of both crude oil as well as refined oil have gone up by 68.3% and 62.7% respectively. The increase in edible oil import is mainly due to substantial increase in import of crude palm oil and its fractions.

  Imports of sensitive items from Indonesia, China P RP, Malaysia, Argentina, Germany, Korea RP,  United States of America, Ukraine, Canada, Japan, Thailand, Cote D’ Ivoire, Ghana, Benin, United Kingdom, Guinea Bissau etc. have gone up while those from Myanmar, Brazil, Australia etc. have gone down.   

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DS/GK

Sensitive item imports rose, shifting commodity and supplier composition and increasing their share of total imports. Import of designated sensitive items increased during April-October 2011 versus the prior year, raising their share of total imports. Milk and milk products and food grains fell while edible oil, automobiles, fruits and vegetables, pulses, rubber, textiles, small-scale industry products, spices, stone products, alcoholic beverages and tea and coffee rose. Edible oil increases were driven by crude palm oil and its fractions, with both crude and refined edible oil imports up. Supplier composition shifted with rises from several countries and declines from others.