India has extended the deadline for duty-free imports of 1 million metric tonnes of raw sugar to December 31 from October 31, an official notification showed, giving importers more time to bring in the commodity to the world's biggest sugar-consuming country, Reuters reported via The Hindu BusinessLine on October 22.
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, announced the extension through Notification No. 45/2026-27 dated October 19, 2026, ChiniMandi reported. The imports cover raw sugar classified under Exim Code 170114, and all other conditions in the original August notification remain unchanged.
Quota was opened in August, most of it still unused
The government had permitted duty-free imports of 10 lakh metric tonnes of raw sugar under the Tariff Rate Quota through Notification No. 31/2025-26 dated August 20, 2026, Rural Voice reported. The move was aimed at improving domestic availability and easing price pressures amid tighter supplies, and was described as India's first major sugar import initiative in nearly a decade.
Imports have stayed subdued because domestic price controls have squeezed importer margins and global prices have not consistently made shipments viable, industry sources cited in reports said. So far, around 2.6 lakh tonnes have been imported, according to industry data reported by OrangeNews9 on October 23; another industry report put the figure at around 3 lakh tonnes.
Festive demand and a smaller crop in the background
The extension comes during peak festive demand around Diwali and Chhath Puja, when sugar consumption rises across households, sweet shops and food processing, Latestly reported. Besides opening imports, the government has imposed stockholding limits on traders to keep supplies adequate and prices in check.
Sugar production for the 2025-26 marketing year (October–September) is now estimated at 306 lakh tonnes — yaani 30.6 million tonnes — down from an earlier forecast of 343 lakh tonnes, while annual domestic demand is pegged at 280–285 lakh tonnes, OrangeNews9 reported. Under a separate public notice, the deadline for surrendering unused import quota has been extended to November 15, Rural Voice reported.
Only the deadline has moved — the duty-free quota stays capped at 10 lakh tonnes and every other condition from the August notification remains in force. Importers get two extra months to use the quota if international prices ease enough to make shipments pay.