Duty-free import of sugar gets extension of two months

07 Jul 2011 Evaluate

The government has extended duty-free import of sugar for two months till August-end amid inflationary pressure. The import duty on sugar will continue to remain nil till August 31, till the new crushing season starts in October. Earlier, faced with high food inflation, the government in January exempted sugar imports from Customs duty till March 31 and further extended till June 30. In April 2009, the government had abolished import duty on sugar, as domestic output had declined sharply to nearly 15 mt against the annual domestic demand of 23 mt.

Prior to the zero duty regime, sugar imports attracted 60 per cent duty. The food ministry has recommended aligning it to 15-20 per cent as against the high rate of 60 per cent. Though, a final decision will be taken by the finance ministry. It may decide to align the duty structure according to the recommendations of the food ministry.

Recently, Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) had demanded that the duty-free regime on sugar import should end as “this is hurting market sentiments and sending wrong signals to the market about clarity of government policies and intentions”. ISMA had stated that with surplus availability of sugar in India and exports taking place it doesn’t make much economic sense to have a duty free regime for imports. The Indian Sugar Mills Association has reportedly pegged the production at 24.2 million tonnes (mt) in the current sugar year, as against 19 mt in the 2009-10 (October-September). The annual domestic demand stands at 22-22.5 mt.

Recently, the government has allowed for exports of an additional 5 lakh tonnes of the sugar, in April, the Government had allowed 5 lakh tonnes of sugar exports under Open General Licences (OGL). Meanwhile, in the latest development it was reported that the Indian white sugar to be exported under the government-sanctioned scheme was offered at up to $670 a tonne free on board for prompt shipment, slightly cheaper than Thai sugar. India has approved around 30,000 tonnes of unrestricted sugar exports, kicking off overseas sales of a total 500,000 tonnes under its Open General Licence policy.

© 2025 The Alchemists Ark Pvt. Ltd. All rights reserved. MoneyWorks4Me ® is a registered trademark of The Alchemists Ark Pvt. Ltd.

×