(PTI)
The government today imposed 10 per cent import duty on wheat and tur dal with immediate effect in a bid to protect farmers’ interest, amid projection of a record crop this year.
On December 8, the government had reduced customs duty on wheat to zero from 10 per cent to boost domestic availability and check retail prices. There has been nil duty on tur dal. Announcing the decision in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Finance Arjun Ram Meghwal said a notification dated March 17, 2012 has further been amended so as to “impose basic customs duty of 10 per cent on wheat and tur, with immediate effect.”
The estimated revenue implication of this decision is about Rs 840 crore at the current levels of imports, he said. The move will help curb sharp fall in the wholesale prices of these two commodities and ensure support price to farmers who are expecting a good crop.The new wheat crop, has started arriving in mandis in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
