India's sensitive imports up 11 pc: Govt

New Delhi, Oct 3: India's sensitive imports shot up by 11.2 per cent to Rs 9,696 crore in first four months of current fiscal from Rs 8,722 crore during the corresponding April-July period of last year, government data released on Friday, Oct 3 said. However, this constituted just 2.8 per cent of gross import of all commodities valued at Rs 4,21,541 crore as compared to Rs 3,06,946 crore (2.3 pc), it added.

While imports of edible oil, milk and milk products and food grains declined, that of fruits and vegetables (including nuts), cotton and silk, automobiles, products of SSI, spices, rubber, alcoholic beverages, marble and granite and tea and coffee increased, Commerce Ministry said.

Value of import of edible oil decreased from Rs 3,777.8 crore last year to Rs 3,698.0 crore in the corresponding April-July period of this year, largely due to 55 per cent fall in import of soyabean crude oil. While import of crude edible oil went down by 4.7 per cent, that of refined oil went up by 19.9 per cent.

The country's imports of sensitive items went up from Indonesia, Myanmar, China, the US, Germany, Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, Egypt, Japan, Ghana, South Korea and the UK, while these went down from Argentina, Canada, Sri Lanka, and Brazil, the data showed.

UNI