Protecting farmers: Govt may raise import duties on edible oils and chana

At present, the import duty on crude edible oils is 25-30%, and those on refined oils and chana are 35-40% and 40%, respectively

The Centre would not hesitate to raise import duties on edible oils and chana up to their “bound rates” applicable under the World Trade Organization (WTO) rules to protect farmers, senior government officials said.

The import duty on crude edible oils now is 25-30 per cent. In the case of refined oils, it is 35-40 per cent. For chana, it is 40 per cent. 

If the proposal goes through, there could be a massive hike in import duty (over 200 per cent in case of some edible oils), while it could go up by 60 per cent in chana. The