India's imports of sensitive products, items whose shipments are monitored for their effect on domestic industry, went up by 30.5% to Rs 43,000 crore during April-February 2008-09 from Rs 32,953 crore in the same period last year.
The import of refined oil saw a huge jump of 126.5%, while imports of crude edible oil increased by 30.6%.
Edible oil import has increased to Rs 14,542.29 crore during the 11 months of 2008-09 from Rs 10,216.81 crore last year.
"The increase in edible oil import is mainly due to substantial increase in import of crude palm oil and its fractions (distillates)," an official statement said here today.
The gross import of all commodities during the period was Rs 12,232,13 crore compared to Rs 9,17,179 crore in April- February 2007-08.
According to the statement, imports of items such as edible oil, fruit and vegetables, automobiles, cotton and silk, rubber, alcoholic beverages, marble and granite, tea and coffee, and milk and milk products have increased during the period.
However, imports of spices and foodgrains have declined during the period.
Imports of sensitive items from China, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the US, the UK, Germany, Italy, Australia, and Ukraine have gone up while those from Canada and Argentina have declined, it added.
Sensitive items, though they constitute 3.4 per cent of the total import basket, are monitored by the government to see whether they are causing any adverse impact on domestic industry, particularly the small and medium sectors.
