Imports of sensitive items up by 34.5%

Imports of milk and milk products saw a huge jump of 487.3 per cent and that of edible oil 94.2 per cent in April-July, pushing the inbound shipment of sensitive items up by 34.5 per cent during the period.

Edible oil, milk and milk products fall in the sensitive items category and their imports are monitored by the government to ensure that they are not causing any adverse impact on domestic firms, particularly small and medium.

However, imports of certain other sensitive items like automobiles, alcoholic beverages and products of small scale industries like umbrella, locks and toys dipped during the period, according to official data.

The overall import of these items went up to Rs 18,061 crore (Rs 180.61 billion) from Rs 13,424 crore (Rs 134.24 billion) in the same period last year.

The import of edible oil, milk and milk products was at Rs 7,150.81 crore (Rs 71.50 billion) and Rs 86.36 crore (Rs 863.6 million) in April-July respectively against Rs 3,682.91 crore (Rs 36.82 billion) and Rs 14.70 crore (Rs 147 million) in the same period of the previous year.

The increase in edible oil import is mainly because of a substantial increase in import of crude palm oil and its fractions, an official statement said.

Imports of tea and coffee in the period went up to Rs 84.03 crore (Rs 840.3 million) from Rs 48.58 crore (Rs 485.8 million) in the same period last year.

India's overall imports (including sensitive items) during the first four months of this fiscal, however, declined by 21.7 per cent to Rs 3,82,422 crore (Rs 3,824.22 billion) from Rs 4,88,668 crore (Rs 4,886.68 billion).