Wrong Moves Could Lead to Market Discrepancies Why would the Indian Ministry of Agriculture and Food want to hike import duties on pulses from a rate of zero to 7.5 percent when imported commodities are already expensive because of a weak rupee? The Commission of Agricultural Costs and Prices had recommended a 10 percent import duty, and the Ministry of Food had asked for a 7.5 percent duty. Any hike conflicts with the Ministry of Finance notification issued on 26 March 2013 that allows for the duty-free import of pulses through 31 March 2014.The thought behind this action is that coupling the previously announced higher minimum support price (MSP) with a higher duty on the cheaper imported pulses will encourage farmers to grow more cr...

TAGS – Livestock, Farm Inputs, Softs, Australia, India, North America