Deadline Extended for Surrendering Sugar Import Quota

New Delhi. The government had permitted the duty-free import of 1 million tonnes (10 lakh tonnes) of raw sugar under the Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) system and allocated import quotas to various millers and refiners. Subsequently, millers were granted the option to surrender any unused quota to the government so that it could be reallocated to other millers or refiners.

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has now once again extended the deadline for surrendering unused sugar import quotas to October 15, 2026. The government had previously authorized the import of the entire sugar quota by October 31, 2026.

A public notice issued by the DGFT states that TRQ quota holders may surrender any portion of their allocated quantity. If a holder feels unable to import the allocated sugar—or determines that importing it would not be profitable—they may surrender that quantity by October 15, 2026.

However, to do so, quota holders must pay a fee equivalent to 0.5 percent of the value of the sugar being surrendered. This value is calculated based on the price of sugar, transportation costs, and insurance expenses. This rule is already established.