An industry body in India which represents liquor manufacturers is asking for government support to increase exports of alcoholic beverages.
The body said that the ministry should not give major duty concessions to regions like the EU as it will aggravate the trade imbalance for India beyond cure.
The European Union (EU) is demanding significant reduction in import duty, under a proposed free trade agreement with India. Negotiations for the pact have been stalled since May 2013, as both the sides have failed to address each others’ concerns.
It was suggested that the duty can be reduced to a maximum 75 per cent in a ten-year period from the current 150 per cent.