The import of 300 sensitive items has registered a 1.3 per cent increase at Rs 7,279 crore during April-November 2001 as against Rs 7,186 crore in the corresponding period last year.
Official sources told Business Standard the steep rise in edible oil imports had been arrested. According to provisional figures compiled by the commerce department, imports of edible oils during the eight-month period ended November 2001 are estimated at Rs 4,409 crore as against Rs 4,290 crore during April-November 2000, representing a rise of 2.77 per cent. After the surge in edible oil imports witnessed during the first half of the fiscal, the government had constituted a high-powered group to recommend steps to check imports.
The import of cotton and silk, however, witnessed a rise of about 35 per cent at Rs 1,860 crore during April-November 2001, compared to Rs 1,379 crore during the corresponding period in 2000.
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In percentage terms, rubber imports have posted the largest increase with imports rising 200 per cent at Rs 75 crore during April-November 2001 as against Rs 25 crore in the corresponding eight months in 2000.
The government has, however, decided to restrict the import of rubber into India by announcing designated ports for imports of the commodity.
Sources said the countries from which imports registered an increase during April-November 2001, included, Iran, Brazil, Cameroon, Japan, Australia, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, the United States and the Czech Republic.
The imports from China, Afghanistan, Netherlands, Ivory Coast, Afghanistan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, South Africa and Russia decreased during the period.
The import of 300 sensitive items identified by the government are being monitored by a committee of secretaries, popularly called the war room, after quantitative restrictions on the remaining 714 items were lifted in April this year. The items under scrutiny belong to a variety of sectors varying from the small-scale industry to fruit and vegetables.