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Govt revises raw sugar import terms, gives 2 months for refining and sale

DGFT replaces the October 31 sale deadline with a two-month window from filing the Bill of Entry, while the duty-free raw sugar import quota and import cut-off remain unchanged

The government allowed duty-free imports of 1 million tonnes of raw sugar, the first such move in nearly a decade, after a sharp rise in domestic sugar prices ahead of the festive season

Rishabh Sharma Sanjeeb Mukherjee New Delhi 3 min read Last Updated : Aug 25 2026 | 5:50 PM IST

In a relief to importers, the Union government has revised the conditions for the import of duty-free raw sugar, removing the October 31 deadline to process the imported sugar and sell the refined product in the domestic market.

In a gazetted notification issued on Monday, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) modified the previous August 20 order which required raw sugar imported under the tariff-rate quota (TRQ) to be processed into refined sugar sufficiently in advance for its sale in the domestic market by October 31.

Under the revised condition, the imported raw sugar must be converted into white or refined sugar and sold domestically within a period not exceeding two months from the date of filing the Bill of Entry, which is the customs declaration filed by an importer for an incoming consignment.

The decision came after the industry raised concerns over the earlier October 31 deadline.

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