In a significant move to boost domestic manufacturing and stabilize raw material costs for the steel and metallurgy industries, the Central Government has announced a total exemption of Basic Customs Duty (BCD) on the import of high-grade manganese ore under Tariff Item 26020010.
The Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, issued this directive via Notification No. 21/2026-Customs on June 9, 2026. Exercising powers conferred under sub-section (1) of section 25 of the Customs Act, 1962 (52 of 1962), the Central Government has amended the principal notification No. 62/2022-Customs to lower the duty rate to 0.0% for all goods falling under this specific tariff line.
According to the official release, a new entry “825A” has been inserted into Table I of the principal notification right after serial number 825. This entry explicitly marks the standard customs duty rate for Tariff Item 26020010 as 0.0%, rendering all imports of this item fully exempt from basic customs levies with immediate effect.
The principal notification No. 62/2022-Customs, originally dated December 26, 2022, was last amended through Notification No. 14/2026-Customs on April 30, 2026.
The Notification can be accessed at: https://a2ztaxcorp.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/N.-No.-21_2026-Customs.pdf
