Govt limits tur import at 200,000 tonne to support prices.

The government has capped import of tur at 200,000 tonne per annum in a bid to to limit the fall in local prices. The restrictions apply until 2018. The import restrictions though not apply to the government import commitments under bilateral trade agreements and other pacts. The move comes in the wake of local tur prices falling to fresh lows due to a large crop. Robust government procurement also did not support prices. There were concerns that domestic prices may fall even further, as Africa is set to harvest a bumper crop this year, and the landed cost of the new African tur crop would be much lower than the domestic price. The government had earlier this year imposed 10% import duty on tur to check the fall in prices. The import duty, however, was not of much help, as tur is imported primarily from Myanmar and African countries, which can circumvent India import taxes due to bilateral pacts.