Detail

India

Oilseeds, oils and meals

Palm oil

01/09/2019

Trade

Import policy

Introduced – effective 4 September 2019 and for a period of 180 days – a 5 percent ‘safeguard tariff’ on imports of refined palm oil from Malaysia, thus ending the preferential treatment Malaysian exporters enjoyed since the beginning of 2019. The safeguard measure resulted in a harmonized total import duty of 50 percent for refined palm oil from all origins.

In August, the Government introduced a 5 percent ‘safeguard tariff’ on imports of refined palm oil from Malaysia, thus ending the preferential treatment Malaysian exporters enjoyed since the beginning of 2019 (see MPPU Jan.’19), which resulted in a surge of India’s palm olein imports, allegedly harming local refiners. The safeguard measure has resulted in a harmonized total import duty of 50 percent for refined palm oil from all origins, while imports of crude palm oil will continue to be taxed at 40 percent.