Page 9 - India Imports

Rs 27,131 crore spent on copper imports in FY23: Govt tells Parliament

India spent Rs 27,131 crore on copper imports in 2022-23, up from Rs 21,985 crore a year earlier, Parliament was informed on Monday. On account of low availability of copper reserves in the country, India has always been an importer of copper ore and concentrate. Replying to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Coal and Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi said, "Per annum net import value (and hence, net foreign exchange outgo) during the last two years... 2021-22 (is) Rs 21,985 crore, 2022-23 (is) Rs 27,131 crore." "India, with a refined copper production of 5.55 lakh tonne in FY2022-23, is the 10th largest in the world," the minister explained. The spurt in imports in the last two years is due to increased demand in copper refining, reflecting a post-pandemic recovery, especially the growth in user sectors such as infrastructure, construction, telecom, electrical, renewable energy, and electric vehicles. Copper is one of the 30 critical minerals identified by the Centre. Copper concentrate

India's coal imports drop over 4 pc to 148 million in Apr-Oct period

India's coal imports dropped 4.2 per cent to 148.13 Million Tonnes (MT) in the April-October period of the ongoing financial year. The country's coal imports were 154.72 MT in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal. During the April-October period, non-coking coal imports were 94.53 MT, lower than 104.41 MT imported during the same period last year, according to the data of mjunction services ltd, a B2B e-commerce company. Coking coal imports were at 33.74 MT during the first seven months of the ongoing financial year, slightly up against 32.74 MT in the year-ago period. Imports in October stood at roughly 23.59 MT as against 19.04 MT in October last fiscal, as per the data. Of the total imports in October, inbound shipments of non-coking coal stood at 16.88 MT, against 11.69 MT imported in October last year. Coking coal imports stood at 4.31 MT, against 4.69 MT imported in October last financial year. "There was an increase in volumes as the buyers took fresh positions

Coal India to phase out mining equipment imports in 6 years, says govt

State-owned CIL, which has imported high-capacity mining equipment worth Rs 3,500 crore in the past five years, has drawn up a plan to phase out such inbound shipments over the next six years, the government said on Thursday. The move aims to encourage and develop domestically manufactured equipment, it said. "Currently, Coal India Ltd (CIL) imports high-capacity equipment, such as electric rope shovels, hydraulic shovels, dumpers, crawler dozers, drills, motor graders, and front-end loaders wheel dozer, valued at Rs 3,500 crore, incurring additional expenses of Rs 1,000 crore in customs duty," the coal ministry said in a statement. These equipment were imported over the past five years. To curb these imports and boost domestic manufacturing, CIL has devised a strategy to phase out imports gradually over the next six years, it said. Notably, high-capacity machines are already being procured from domestic manufacturers. With a strong commitment to reduce the country's dependence o

Govt curtails palm oil imports over rising prices, negative margins

Buyers are concerned that the recent price rise may not be sustainable, so they are placing new import orders cautiously

Paper imports surge 43% in Apr-Sept fueled by jump in Asean shipments

Paper imports into India surged by 43 per cent in volume terms in the first half of 2023-24, fueled by a more than two-fold jump in imports from ASEAN countries, according to official data. The Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCIS) data showed that imports of paper and paperboard jumped to 959,000 tonnes in April-September 2023-24 from 672,000 tonnes in the first half of FY2022-23. Imports from ASEAN countries shot up from 81,000 tonnes in the first half of FY23 to 288,000 tonnes in the first half of FY24. Imports from China were almost flat at 186,400 tonnes in the period under review. In value terms, total paper imports rose to Rs 6,481 crore in April-September 2023-24 from Rs 5,897 crore in the year-ago period. Imports from ASEAN countries more than doubled to Rs 1,509 crore in the first half of FY24 from Rs 715 crore in the year ago period. Paper imports from China were worth Rs 1,629 crore in the first half of this fiscal against Rs 1,919 crore

Laptop, tablet imports surge 42% to $715 million amid licensing fears

The rise in such imports were led by the largest source China (33 per cent) and Singapore (188 per cent), according to data released by the commerce department

Imports from Russia up 64% to $36.27 bn in Apr-Oct; crude, fertiliser tops

India's imports from Russia rose 64 per cent to USD 36.27 billion during the April-October period this fiscal on higher shipments of crude oil and fertiliser, according to the commerce ministry data. With this, Russia has become India's second-largest import source during the first seven months of this fiscal. The imports were USD 22.13 billion during April-October 2022. From a market share of less than 1 per cent in India's import basket before the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Russia's share of India's oil imports rose to over 40 per cent. India, the world's third-largest crude importer after China and the United States, has been buying Russian oil after some countries in the West shunned it as a means of punishing Moscow for invading Ukraine. The ministry's data showed that imports from China dipped marginally to USD 60.02 billion during the period against USD 60.26 billion in the year-ago period. Similarly, imports from the US declined 16 per cent to USD 24.89 billion

Govt's registration requirement for laptop imports a boon for us: Primebook

The government's move to enforce registration requirement for laptop imports came as a boon for home-grown Android-based laptop maker Primebook, according to the company's CEO Chitranshu Mahant. The move (to put registration requirement for imports) "actually came as a blessing to us. We had no issues, but other brands were not able to import stuff. So we had a good market exposure because of the problems," Mahant told PTI. The government has put in place a new system under which companies willing to import laptops, tablets and certain components are required to register the quantity and value of imports on a portal. The new system was announced in October this year and the government has cleared a total of 110 applications, including those from Apple, Dell, HP and Lenovo, seeking permission for imports worth around USD 10 billion. The authorisation for these imports is valid until September 2024. According to the government, the new 'import management system' is aimed at monitorin

Curbs, PLI, quality norms help cut import of some non-essential goods

Steps such as curbs on inbound shipments of certain goods, production linked incentive scheme and mandatory quality norms are helping the country reduce imports of non-essential products such as TV, tyres, wallpaper and AC gas compressors. These steps, among others like imposing antidumping and countervailing duties, have been taken to analyse and control non-essential imports and to augment domestic production capacity in import intensive sectors, an official said. According to an analysis of the commerce and industry ministry, import restrictions imposed on tyres helped cut the inbound shipments by 74 per cent to USD 74 million in 2022-23 from USD 276 million in 2019-20. Calendar year wise, these imports declined to USD 36 million till July this year as against USD 353 million in 2018. The government in June 2020 imposed import curbs on certain new pneumatic tyres used in motor cars, buses, lorries and motorcycles to promote domestic manufacturing and contain imports from ...

Time to 'phase up' on oil production

As the demand for petroleum products drives on relentlessly, imports surged to 230 mt, leaving us vulnerable to vagaries of global uncertainties

India's lentils imports from Canada keep flowing despite tensions

Canada is India's main import source of lentils, a protein-rich staple used to make daal curry

Protectionism diverts attention from enhancing industry competitiveness

It is a throwback to the pre-liberalisation days when the government preferred to restrict imports with a view to protect inefficient domestic producers

US emerges as India's biggest trading partner during Apr-Sep this fiscal

The US has emerged as India's biggest trading partner during the first half of the current financial year despite global economic uncertainties and declining exports and imports, according to government data. According to the provisional data of the commerce ministry, the bilateral trade between India and the US has declined by 11.3 per cent to USD 59.67 billion during April-September 2023 against USD 67.28 billion in the same period last year. Exports to the US have come down to USD 38.28 billion during April-September 2023 from USD 41.49 billion a year ago. Imports also declined to USD 21.39 billion during the first six months of the current fiscal compared to USD 25.79 billion in the same period last year. Similarly, the two-way trade between India and China also dipped by 3.56 per cent to USD 58.11 billion. Exports to China contracted marginally to USD 7.74 billion during the first half of the current fiscal from USD 7.84 billion in the year-ago period. Imports fell to USD 50.

India not planning curbs on imports or investments from Canada: Reports

Ties between New Delhi and Ottawa deteriorated sharply after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in September his intelligence agencies were pursuing credible allegations

Govt to issue end-to-end digital authorisation for laptop, tablets' import

The decision spells relief for global laptop makers such as Dell, HP, Apple, Samsung and Lenovo, which had been unnerved by the abrupt announcement of a licensing regime in August

PLI scheme effect? Bulk drug imports from China slow, shows data

Experts say scheme to boost local manufacturing will take 5-7 years to show tangible results

Imported food item for re-export doesn't need clearance, says FSSAI

The FSSAI advisory should also come as a big relief in ease of doing business

US, Korea raise concerns on India's import restrictions on laptops, PCs

The US, China, Korea and Chinese Taipei have raised concerns on India's decision to impose import restrictions on laptops, and computers, in a meeting of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), an official said. The concern was flagged in the meeting of WTO's Committee on Market Access. It was chaired by Renata Crisaldo of Paraguay on October 16, in Geneva. The US has stated that the decision will have an impact on trade of these products, including US exports to India, once they are implemented, the Geneva-based official said. America has also said that the decision is creating uncertainty for exporters and downstream users. On August 3, India imposed import restrictions on a host of IT hardware products as laptops, personal computers (including tablet computers), micro computers, large or mainframe computers, and certain data processing machines with a view to boost domestic manufacturing and cut imports from countries like China. The regime would come into effect from November ...

Amid declining Indian imports, shipments from Russia, Hong Kong see growth

In the realm of exports, India saw diverging trends among its top 10 markets

Imports from Russia up 67% in Apr-Sep on higher shipments of oil: Govt data

India's imports from Russia rose by about 67 per cent to USD 30.42 billion during the April-September period this fiscal on higher shipments of crude oil and fertiliser, according to the commerce ministry data. With this, Russia has become India's second-largest import source during the first half of this fiscal. The imports were USD 18.24 billion during April-September 2022. From a market share of less than 1 per cent in India's import basket before the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Russia's share of India's oil imports rose to over 40 per cent. India, the world's third-largest crude importer after China and the United States, has been buying Russian oil that was available at a discount after some countries in the West shunned it as a means of punishing Moscow for the invasion of Ukraine. The ministry's data showed that imports from China dipped to USD 50.47 billion during the period against USD 52.42 billion in the same period last year. Similarly, imports from the US .