Import of White Poppy Seeds

The year-wise quantity and value of import of white poppy seeds in the country during the last three years is as below:

The Government protects the domestic cultivators of poppy seeds against cheap imports in two ways, by: (i) imposing a customs duty and (ii) prescribing a minimum tariff value. At present, the effective customs duty on imported poppy seeds is 25.42% ad valorem and the minimum tariff value is fixed at US $ 4,395 per MT.

The information was given by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry Dr. E.M. Sudarsana Natchiappan in Rajya Sabha today.