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| Photo Credit: The Hindu

The government on December 28 extended the duty-free imports treatment for Urad and Tur Dal by a year till March 31, 2025, less than a week after granting a similar import duty exemption window for inbound Masur dal shipments.

The development assumes significance as pulses inflation at both the retail and wholesale level, is hovering over 20%, and the Kharif crop prospects are not too bright.

With El Nino effects kicking in, by mid-December, Rabi crop sowing for pulses was 8.2% lower than a year ago. India mainly imports pulses, a key protein source, from countries like Canada, Australia, Myanmar and Mozambique.

A notification to extend the current sunset date of March 31, 2024, for duty-free imports of Urad and Tur Dal, was issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade with the approval of the Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal.