Export & Global Trade
Explore guides on agricultural exports, imports, global trade, and international markets.
14 articles
14 minAPEDA Registration (RCMC): Who Needs It, Process on DGFT Portal, Fees, Documents, Validity and Renewal
APEDA registration means getting an RCMC (Registration-cum-Membership Certificate) from APEDA if you export any APEDA scheduled product such as fresh fruits and vegetables, cereals, meat, dairy, honey, processed food or floriculture. Since 17 July 2023 you apply online on the DGFT e-RCMC portal after getting an IEC. The fee is Rs 5,000 plus 18 percent GST (Rs 5,900), valid 5 years, renewal also Rs 5,900. A merchant exporter needs the IEC; a manufacturer exporter also needs manufacturing proof such as FSSAI or Udyam. Agrochemicals and fertilisers are not APEDA scheduled products.
19 minLetter of Credit for Exporters: How It Works, Types, Documents, UCP 600, Costs, Discrepancies and Export Finance
A letter of credit (LC) is a written promise from the buyer's bank to pay you, the exporter, a stated amount if you present the documents the LC asks for, on time and exactly as written. The bank checks papers, not goods. Under UCP 600 the examining bank has up to five banking days to decide. In India, send the documents to your AD bank within 21 days of export, and bring the money home within nine months. Ask for an irrevocable LC, and consider a confirmed one when the issuing bank or country is unfamiliar.
17 minPackaging and Labelling Rules for Food Exports from India: FSSAI, Destination Label Rules, Allergens, Barcodes, Pallets and Organic Marks
An export food pack carries two sets of rules. India expects the exporter to hold the right FSSAI licence and to check FSSAI and Export Inspection Council requirements for the product. The label content itself is set by the buyer country: EU rules, US FDA rules, Japanese-language labels, or Arabic labels for Saudi Arabia. Wooden pallets need an ISPM 15 mark, organic goods need the correct organic logo, and a barcode helps retail listing. Confirm every artwork with the importer before printing.
20 minSpice Export Business in India: Licence, Documents, Quality Rules, Costing and Margin
A spice export business needs an IEC from DGFT, a Spices Board CRES (Certificate of Registration as Exporter of Spices), a GST registration and a yearly GST LUT, plus FSSAI and a unit inspection if you process the spice yourself. India exported 17.34 lakh tonnes of spices worth Rs 39,140 crore (US$ 4.43 billion) in 2025-26, down from 17.99 lakh tonnes and US$ 4.72 billion the year before. The hard part is not the licence. It is passing buyer tests for ethylene oxide, Salmonella, aflatoxin and pesticide residue. Margins on plain whole spices are thin and depend on your own costing, so the costing section below gives a framework you can fill with real quotes.
13 minPhytosanitary Certificate in India: Who Issues It, How to Apply on PQMS, Documents, Validity and Rejection Reasons
A phytosanitary certificate (PSC, often called a phyto) is an official plant-health document that says a consignment of plants or plant products was inspected and meets the importing country's plant quarantine rules.
19 minIEC Code for Agri Exporters: Documents, Fees, DGFT Online Process, Annual Update and Link with APEDA RCMC, GST LUT and Bank AD Code
An IEC (Importer Exporter Code) is a 10-digit number from DGFT that you need before you export, unless you fall in an exempt category such as goods for personal use. Apply online at dgft.gov.in. The government fee is Rs 500, the code is permanent, and a modification costs Rs 200.
14 minBiopesticide Registration Requirements: EU vs US vs Africa (What an Indian Exporter Must Know)
There is no single biopesticide registration for the world. The EU approves the active substance first and then each member state authorises the product, under Regulation (EC) 1107/2009. The USA registers through the EPA under FIFRA, with a separate biopesticide division and lighter data rules for biochemicals and microbials. Africa has no one regulator: Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria each run their own system, and regional groups such as the East African Community and SADC are still working on shared guidelines. In a published comparison, EU registration of microbial agents took about 1.6 years longer than the US on average. For an Indian exporter, the safe path is to pick one target market, use a local registration partner, and start the dossier and efficacy trials early.
13 minHow to Export Agrochemicals from India: Documents, Licences and Process
To export agrochemicals from India you need an IEC from DGFT, a GST registration with an annual LUT, and a legal product. For the product, either use a pesticide already registered in your name with CIB&RC (no separate export registration is needed) or get an export-only certificate of registration. You also need a manufacturing licence under the Insecticides Act, a safety data sheet, a certificate of analysis, UN-approved packing marked under IMDG rules, and your buyer's own country registration or import permit. Then you raise a commercial invoice and packing list, file the shipping bill through your customs agent and ship. Phytosanitary certificates are normally for plant material, not chemicals. The longest step is usually the buyer country's registration, not Indian paperwork.
10 minTop Agrochemical Companies 2026: World and India Ranked by Latest Sales
By 2025 crop protection sales, the five biggest agrochemical companies are Syngenta, Bayer, BASF, Corteva and UPL, in that order, according to an AgroLatam ranking (29 Sep 2026). In India the largest by FY26 revenue is UPL at Rs 51,839 crore, followed in the crop-protection space by PI Industries, Bayer CropScience India and Sharda Cropchem.
17 minPesticide Registration by Country: EU, USA, Brazil, India and Africa Compared
No single global pesticide registration exists. Each country or bloc approves a product before it can be sold. The EU approves the active substance first, then each member state authorises the product. The USA registers under FIFRA through the EPA. Brazil uses a three-agency system under Law 14.785/2023, with a legal deadline of 24 months for a new product. India uses the Insecticides Act, 1968 (sections 9(3), 9(3B) and 9(4)). Africa has no single system: nine Sahel states share one CSP registration, and most others run national boards.
16 minTop Fertiliser Importing Countries: Who Buys the Most and Where Demand Is Heading
Brazil is the largest fertiliser importer in the world, by value and by tonnes. UN Comtrade-based data show Brazil at about 16 billion USD in 2023 and about 15 billion USD in 2024, ahead of India and the United States. The top exporters are China, Canada, the United States, Morocco and Saudi Arabia (2023 value), with Russia leading on tonnes in 2025. Only potash (MOP) is 100% imported by India.
5 minHow to Import Pesticides and Agrochemicals from India: Documents, HS Codes and Registration
To import pesticides from India, first register or get import permission for the product in your own country. Then buy from a manufacturer that holds CIB&RC export registration, and insist on a Certificate of Analysis, Safety Data Sheet, UN-approved packaging, Certificate of Origin and correct HS code (3808 for pesticides, 3101 to 3105 for fertilizers).
