Another 4 lakh tonne import of feed grade maize at concessional import duty permitted

The government Tuesday permitted import of another four lakh tonne of feed grade maize at a concessional import duty of 15 per cent to meet the demand of the poultry feed.

"The government has decided to allocate another 4 lakh tonne of feed grade maize (dent corn) to be imported under TRQ (tariff rate quota)," the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a trade notice.

It was allowed with certain relaxations and conditions such as imports are permitted only for actual users and import for trading purpose is not allowed.

"Date of submission of application from sate trading enterprises is extended up to August 31, 2019," it added.

In June, one lakh tonne was allowed by the DGFT subject to certain conditions.

Subsequently, further representations have been received from the poultry sector and the Karnataka government seeking an increase in the quota allocation taking into consideration the demand and supply scenario of feed grade maize in the domestic market.

The June decision was taken after the government received many representations from the poultry sector, highlighting an unprecedented shortage of feed grade maize mainly because of drought, pest attack and significant reduction in cultivable areas.