Govt may raise import duties on edible oils and chana may go up The duties might be pushed up to 300 per cent in case of palm and other edible oils and 100 per cent in chana. The Centre would not hesitate to raise import duties on edible oils and chana up to their “bound rates” applicable under the World Trade Organization (WTO) rules to protect farmers, senior government officials said. The duties might be pushed up to 300 per cent in case of palm and other edible oils and 100 per cent in chana. The import duty on crude edible oils now is 25-30 per cent. In the case of refined oils, it is 35-40 per cent. For chana, it is 40 per cent. If the proposal goes through, there could be a massive hike in import duty (over 200 per cent in case of edible oils), while it could go up by 60 per cent in chana. The bound rate for soybean oil is 45 per cent and the existing is 30 per cent. Bound rates are the maximum permissible ones under WTO agreements. The thinking within a section of the