a) the details of agricultural machinery imported into the country during the last three years and the current year, year and item-wise including the import duty thereon;
b) whether the Government has taken any steps to make import of agricultural machinery cheaper; and
c) if so, the details thereof?
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (INDEPENDENT CHARGE)
(SMT. NIRMALA SITHARAMAN)
(a to c) The value of the agricultural machinery imported into the country during the last three years and the current year is given in the table below:
Values in US $ Million
2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016(Apr-Sep)
700.99 667.39 683.33 320.01
The item wise detail is at at Annexure 1.
Concessional duty benefit has been extended to the imports of specified agricultural machinery attracting concessional rate of Basic Customs Duty (BCD), as under:
S. No. Equipment Chapter Heading/Sub-Heading BCD rate applicable
1 Paddy trans planter; Laser & Leveler; Reaper cum binder; Sugarcane harvester; Straw of fodder balers; Cotton picker; Track used for manufacture of track type combine harvesters; Sugarcane planter; Root or tuber crop harvesting machines; Rotary tiller/weeder and parts/components required for manufacture of these goods. 84 or any other chapter. 2.50%
2 Sprinklers and drip irrigation systems for agricultural and horticultural purposes; micro irrigation equipment. 8424 5%
3 Sugarcane crushers 8438 30 10 5%
Further, to make import of agricultural machinery cheaper, machinery for soil preparation or cultivation (Chapter heading 8432); Harvesting/threshing machinery (Chapter heading 8433) and all other agricultural machinery (Chapter heading 8436) as well as parts of mechanical appliances of a kind used in agriculture (Tariff item 8424 90 00) are fully exempted from the payment of Central Excise/CV duty.
The Department of Agriculture Cooperation & Farmers Welfare promotes agricultural equipment and machinery (both indigenous and imported) through subsidy under its various schemes/ programmes subject to the condition that these machinery/equipment are satisfactorily tested by the Farm Machinery Training and Testing Institutes of the Department
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