NEW DELHI: The Central government today allowed duty free import of raw sugar upto 5,00,000 tonnes to boost domestic supplies and check price rise amid production fall.
The duty-free imports will be allowed until June 12 under the Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ), according to a notification laid in Parliament. As per the government estimate, the country's sugar production is projected to drop to 22.5 million tonnes in the ongoing 2016-17 marketing year from 25.1 million tonnes last year because of drought.
The sugar production in India, the world's second largest producer and biggest consumer, is estimated to be much lower than the annual requirement of 25 million tonnes.