Import of sensitive items, including fruits, vegetables and edible oils, during April-January 2012 rose by 43 percent to Rs.83,714 crore from the Rs.58,697 crore in the corresponding period a year-ago, PTI reported, quoting the Commerce Ministry.
Import of fruits and vegetables soared to Rs 7,932 crore from Rs 4,273 crore,
Items such as food grains, automobiles, milk and beverages fall in the sensitive category and the import of these goods is monitored by the Government to see if there is any adverse impact on the domestic industry.
Import of edible oils rose by 57 percent to Rs.37,742 crore from Rs.23,975 crore, mainly due to significant increase in import of crude palm oil and its fractions, it said. India is the world's largest importer of edible oil and one of the largest consumers.
During the ten months of last fiscal, import of alcoholic beverages and spices also increased by 57 percent and 59 percent, respectively.
Import of small scale industries' products such as umbrellas, locks, toys and glassware grew by 46 percent year-on-year to Rs.1,830 crore.
Automobile imports shot up by 62 percent to Rs.3,120 crore. Similarly, milk imports too increased by 20 percent. However, imports of food grains plunged by 94 percent.
In January last year, retail inflation, based on the Consumer Price Index, was 7.65 percent.
Import of sensitive items from countries like Indonesia, China, Malaysia, Argentina, Germany, Korea, US, Canada, Japan, UK, Australia have gone up, while those from Brazil have gone down.
by RTT Staff Writer
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