The union government has extended the customs duty exemption on tur and urad dal imports by another year, till March 31, 2025 in order to keep food inflation in check.

An order to this effect was issued by the Director General of Foreign Trade on Thursday. The announcement comes close on the heels of the government's recent decision to extend the import duty exemption for masur dal by one year to March 2025.

This exemption, effective since October 2021, will now last until March 31, 2025, as opposed to the earlier notification of March 31, 2024.

The notifications of extending duty free imports come at a time when India has been battling high food inflation which surged to 8.7 per cent in November up from 6.61 per cent in October. The prices of pulses surged by 20 per cent in November, according to data available from the Ministry of Statistics.

Earlier the government extended the time period for existing stock limits under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 in respect of tur and urad from October 30 to December 31, and also revised the stock holding limits for certain stockholding entities. This was done to prevent hoarding and ensure that adequate quantities of tur and urad reached markets to prevent prices from soaring further.