Imports of sensitive items rises by 14 % in April to October.

Imports of sensitive items increased by 14 per cent to Rs 40,499 crore during April-October 2010, with sharp increases in foodgrains, dairy products, edible oils, rubber and alcoholic beverages.

Rise in imports of crude edible oil increased the total oil imports to Rs15,882 crore, a 12 per cent rise when compared to the same period of 2009.

Dairy products imports trebled to Rs 536 crore in the seven-month period, while rubber imports increased by 93.1 per cent to Rs 977.24 crore.

Automobile imports more than doubled to Rs 1,249 crore, compared to Rs 583 crore in the same period of 2009.

Alcoholic beverages imports went up by 55 per cent to total Rs 102 crore.

Imports of cotton, silk and tea and coffee fell by 26.7 per cent and 19.5 per cent during the period to Rs 945.44 crore and Rs 149.19 crore, respectively.

The sensitive items are a list of more than 300 products crucial for the economy and are monitored by the Commerce Department on a regular basis.

Imports of sensitive items amounted to 4.6 per cent of the total imports during the period. Imports of sensitive items from Indonesia, China, Malaysia and the US have gone up, while those from Myanmar, Canada, Brazil and Japan have declined.