(a) whether the Government is exploring the options for increase in the import duty to the maximum allowed limit for short periods to tide over the trend of falling prices of farm produce due to cheap imports;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether each country commits to a ceiling on customs duties on a certain number of products and no country can raise duties above the bound rates as per World Trade Organisation norms; and
(d) if so, the details thereof?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE
(SHRI SHIV PRATAP SHUKLA)
(a): There is no such proposal under consideration, for the present.
(b): Does not arise in view of (a) above.
(c ) and (d) : The WTO requires member countries to notify the bound tariffs on products as per the commitments resulting from the WTO negotiations. Country wise bound tariff commitments are listed in the documents called the Schedule of Commitments and are an integral part of the WTO Agreement. WTO member countries have the flexibility to increase or decrease their tariffs so long as they do not raise them above their bound levels. If one WTO member raises applied tariffs above their bound level, other WTO members can take the country to the WTO’s dispute settlement for resolving the issue.
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