Import duty on edible oils hiked by 5 percent

New Delhi, Sep 18: In a bid to protect its domestic industry, India on Friday hiked the import duty on edible oils by 5 percent. The Central Board of Excise and Customs here said in a notification that the customs duty on edible oil in all categories had been increased by 5 percent. Duty on crude edible oil has been increased from 7.5 percent to 12.5 percent while on refined edible oil from 15 percent to 20 percent. Deficient monsoon is building pressure on edible oils, which may send India's import bill of this key cooking ingredient soaring to $14 billion in the current financial year, a study by industry body Assocham said here on Thursday. The deficit in average rainfall so far for 2015-16 is 12 percent, according to the latest available information. "Therefore, assuming that the production of oil seeds for 2015-16 remains at the level of 2014-15 and anticipating a rise in demand, vegetable oils imports would reach around $14 billion for 2015-16, which was around $10 billion last year," said the study by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham). These imports were $7.2 billion in 2013-14, increasing by over 46 percent in the following year.