Govt asks importers to sell refined sugar in 2 months after import
The Directorate-General of Foreign Trade has made a partial modification of its August 20 notification
Four days after releasing the guidelines for the distribution of 1 million tonnes of raw sugar under the Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) scheme, the government has mandated that importers must sell refined sugar within two months in the domestic market. The modification was made to Public Notice No. 27/2026-2027, dated August 20, 2026, by the Director General of Foreign Trade.
The original notice stated that imported raw sugar should be processed into white/refined sugar within a "reasonable" timeframe after import, but by October 31, 2026, at the latest. The government consulted the Food Ministry, as they believed a definitive time frame was necessary to ensure the imported sugar reached the domestic market.
The revised statement in the amended notice reads: "The Raw Sugar imported under the TRQ shall be processed into White/Refined Sugar within a reasonable period after import, provided that the importer shall convert the raw sugar into white/refined sugar and sell the same in the domestic market within a period, not exceeding two months, from the date of filing of bill of entry."
All other terms and conditions of the initial notice remain unchanged. India allowed the duty-free import of 1 million tonnes of raw sugar on August 20 as part of measures to control rising sugar prices and food inflation. The Commerce Ministry granted this import under the TRQ system until October 30, 2026. Additionally, importers have the one-time option to convert sugar under the advance authorization scheme into TRQ-sourced sugar, provided they pay GST.
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