Fresh Fruits, Cement To Be Mainly Affected From Duty Hike On Pakistani Imports

Following the imposition of 200 percent customs duty by the Indian government on products imported from Pakistan after the Pulwama terror attack, experts say that fresh fruits and cement would be among the top ten imported items to be affected.

Among the top items that are imported from the neighboring country include fresh fruits, leather, petroleum products, processed minerals, inorganic chemicals, raw cotton, cotton fabric, glass, and glassware, that make up for 95 percent of the total shipments.

Being the two main items imported, fruits and cement would have attracted customs duty of 30-50 percent and 7.5 percent, respectively. The domestic importers who have already placed their orders from Pakistan may face issues after this decision as they may either have to pay the 200 percent duty or undergo paperwork to get their consignments, an industry source told PTI.

Imports from Pakistan rose to $488.5 million for the financial year 2017-18 from $455.5 million in the year before.

Following the terrorist attack from a Pakistan-based militant group in Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir that killed over 40 CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) personnel on 14 February, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday tweeted, "India has withdrawn MFN status to Pakistan after the Pulwama incident. Upon withdrawal, basic customs duty on all goods exported from Pakistan to India has been raised to 200% with immediate effect. #Pulwama"

The decision to hike the duty will affect the imports to Pakistan as it will be less competitive when compared to other products.