Indian imports of sugar at 34.56 lakh tonnes so far this year.

NEW DELHI: India, the world's largest consumer of sugar, imported 34.56 lakh tonnes of the sweetener between October and April 19 of the 2009-10 marketing year, Parliament was informed on Friday.

"As per trade sources, 26.6 lakh tonnes of raw sugar and 7.96 lakh tonnes of white sugar was imported during the current sugar year up to April 19," Minister of State for Food and Consumer Affairs K V Thomas said in a reply to the Rajya Sabha.

The country imported 25.17 lakh tonnes of sugar in the previous marketing year, which runs from October to September, the trade data showed.

The Centre has allowed duty-free import of raw and refined sugar since April, 2009, to augment the domestic availability of sugar and check prices, which were rising then.

The minister clarified that the Centre did not import any sugar on its account in the current sugar year.

"It is the sugar mills or public sector undertakings or merchant importers/exporters who have undertaken import of sugar as per their commercial prudence," he said.

Meanwhile, sugar prices, which nearly touched Rs 50 a kg in January this year, have declined to Rs 35 a kg in the retail market of the national capital. Even the production outlook for the current season has improved from 16 million to 18 million tonnes.

Duty-free import of sugar is allowed till December this year.

Source : The Economic Times