Monitoring Unusual Import Surges Across Commodities: Commerce Secretary

India has stepped up scrutiny of import trends across sectors, with Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal stating that the government is closely watching for unusual surges in inbound shipments.

"We have started monitoring import surges across all commodities," he said, adding that the commerce ministry regularly shares these reports with relevant ministries for further assessment.

Barthwal noted that any unusual spikes in imports are examined closely and, if necessary, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade is used to impose curbs.

"Illegal imports have come down post-notification," he added, indicating tighter enforcement has yielded results. At the same time, he assured that genuine users in industry continue to receive what they need, suggesting a calibrated approach balancing protection with supply assurance.

This comes after DGFT, in June, restricted the imports of palladium, rhodium and iridium alloy with over 1% gold by weight, in a bid to check duty evasion in the import of gold.

The move was meant to prevent import of gold at a lower duty in the guise of alloys.

Separately, Barthwal flagged strategic concerns over critical minerals and rare earths, saying that processing technologies remain in limited hands globally.

"We’ve faced issues with control over rare earth magnets," he said, underlining the need to reduce overdependence on a few countries.

India is looking to diversify its import and value chains, and ongoing free trade agreements with resource-rich countries like Chile and Peru are part of that strategy.

Barthwal also emphasized that India is keen to develop its own rare earth processing capabilities to unlock domestic potential and strengthen self-reliance in key sectors linked to electric vehicles, electronics and defence.