Q.5. Discuss the imports trends in India.
Ans. Import of items under bulk category as a whole comprising inter-alia fertilizers, cere sugar, edible oil, Iron and steel and petroleum crude and products recorded a substantial increas compared with the corresponding period of the previous year. It is notable that the commodity & recording the highest growth in imports was machinery.
As far as import (47.59%) items is concerned, significant growth was registered by paper board and manufactures (47.59%) followed by iron and steel (43.76%) crude rubber including synthetic (43.31%), edible oil (36.71%), non-ferrous metals (33.07%), news print (29.72%), fertilizers (15.60%) pulp and paper waste (13.76%), metalliferrous ore and scrap (11.66%) and petroleum crude and products (4.44%).
Import of some items during this period registered a fall which included crude fertilizers import by major product categories.
Fertilizers
During the first 9 months, the total import of fertilizers increased to 3 2742 crores from last year. India’s Imports of Principal Commodities
2372 crores in the corresponding period of last year recording an increase of 15.60%. However import of crude fertilizer decreased by 25.55%.
Petroleum Crude and Products
The import of petroleum crude and products was valued at $67,620 crores as against 362059 crores showing a growth of 9.44%.
Pearls, Precious and Semi-Precious Stones
23,109 crores Import of capital and precious and semi-precious stones increased by 5.55% to as compared to 21,893 crores during the corresponding period of the previous year.
Capital Goods
Import of capital goods, largely, represented by machinery, including transport equipment as well as project goods recorded a notable increase over the same period of last year. Machine tools segment saw a significant rise of 64.03% in imports. Import project goods, however, decreased from *1807 crores to 1221 crores registering a fall of 32.43%. Other items that showed positive import growth were transported equipment (62.06%), non-electrical machinery (24.17%).
Chemicals and Chemical Materials
Organic and inorganic chemical materials and medicinal and pharmaceutical products constituted the major components of imports under this category. The imports of organic and 13,149 crores from 10794 crores, registering a growth of 2073 crores inorganic chemicals increased to 21.82%. Import of medicinal and pharmaceutical products marginally declined to from 2087 crores during the corresponding period of last year registering a fall of 0.67%.