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New Delhi, Nov. 19 In line with the general upsurge in import items, import of sensitive items being monitored by the Department of Commerce too registered a hefty growth during the first half of the current fiscal.

According to figures released by the Government on Wednesday, the total import of sensitive items for the period April-September 2008 has been Rs 2,0560.2 crore compared with Rs 1,6216.6 crore during the corresponding period of last year, thereby showing an increase of 26.8 per cent. The gross import of all commodities during the period was Rs 6,61,208 crore (Rs 4,56,407 crore). Thus, imports of sensitive items constituted 3.6 per cent and 3.1 per cent of the gross imports during the last year and current year respectively.

Imports of milk & milk products and food grains have shown a decline at broad group level during the period. Imports of items viz. edible oil, automobiles, fruits & vegetables (including nuts), cotton & silk, products of SSI, rubber, spices, alcoholic beverages, marble & granite and tea & coffee have shown an increase. During the period, in the edible oil segment, the import has increased from Rs 6,009.23 crore last year to Rs 6,182.89 crorethis year. The import of crude edible oil has gone down by 6.5 per cent and that of refined oil went by up by 79.2 per cent. The increase in edible oil import is mainly due to substantial increase in import of refined bleached deodorised palmolein.

Imports of sensitive items from Indonesia, China PRP, Korea RP, Myanmar, Japan, Germany, US, Malaysia, Cote D’ Ivoire, Thailand, Czech Republic, Italy, Benin, Australia, Egypt, Sweden, Guinea and UK have gone up while those from Argentina, Canada and Brazil have shown a decrease.

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