Indian government laid the foundation of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) in 1985. This apex organization aims to promote the Export of Agricultural products through various growth-centric policies and initiatives.
Further, APEDA replaced the Processed Food Export Promotion Council (PFEPC). This government-based entity deals with business activities associated to the farm produce and its offers various benefits to member producers.
What are the Mandatory Functions Performed by APEDA?
APEDA is assigned with functions such as:-
- Promotion of export-based production & schedule products development.
- Underpinning the specifications and standards for the scheduled products.
- Registration of individual dealing with the export of the scheduled products
- Improving marketing and packaging of the scheduled products.
- Conducting a quality inspection of the products against the predetermined standards.
- Training in multiple heads of the industries that deal with the schedule products.
- Development of companies dealing with the scheduled products & conducting feasibility studies, surveys, etc.
- Gathering of statistics from the company’s owner or publication & establishment of such statistics.
Read our article:Step by Step Process of APEDA Registration in India
What are the Products that comes under Regime of APEDA Registration
APEDA is mandated with the accountability of export promotion & growth of scheduled products such as meat, fruits, Dairy Products, Honey, Pickles, Biscuits, Cocoa products, floriculture Products, Jaggery, Vegetable, Bakery Products, cocoa products, and Sugar Products.
Any exporters that are associated with this range of products are eligible to register under APEDA. It is compulsory for the exporter of basmati rice to sign up with this apex organization as Registration-Cum-Allocation Certificate (RCAC) is granted for every rice export shipment to custom before inspection of goods.
- Fruits, Vegetables and their Products.
- Meat and Meat Products.
- Poultry and Poultry Products.
- Dairy Products.
- Confectionery, Biscuits and Bakery Products.
- Honey, Jaggery and Sugar Products.
- Cocoa and its products, chocolates of all kinds.
- Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic Beverages.
- Cereal and Cereal Products.
- Groundnuts, Peanuts and Walnuts.
- Pickles, Papads and Chutneys.
- Guar Gum.
- Floriculture and Floriculture Products.
- Herbal and Medicinal[1] Plants.
What are the Advantages of Membership?
Applicants seeking APEDA registration need to file an application in the first place. APEDA mandates every exporter to avail the registration within a month of commencing the business. On applying, the applicant shall be granted Registration-cum Membership Certificate (RCMC).
Potential benefits involve guidance in production, financial aid, access to seminars and training conducted by this apex organization to ensure sustainable growth in the future. Moreover, additional benefits include expert assistance and publicity.
What Document are Required to Avail APEDA Registration?
An applicant seeking export of agricultural products has to obtain APEDA registration without exception. To serve that purpose, they need to arrange the following documents:
Common documents required to avail of the APEDA registration are as follow:
- Application form enclosing the signature of the applicant.
- Import-Export Code issued by the DGFT.
- Confidential report/certificate from the applicant’s bank.
- Bank statement for last 2 months
- Canceled Cheque
What is the Online Registration Procedure of APEDA
Given the Digital India Initiative, the issuance of RCMC has been made online via digital signatures i.e. 1.8.2015. Exporters can furnish an online application in the following manner.
- Log in to the APEDA official portal & select “Register as Member.”
- Furnish the basic info such as Email ID, IE Code, and mobile number.
- OTP will be sent on the applicant’s contact number and email id. The applicant is required to enter this code on the verification screen and tap on Submit to continue.
- Once the portal verify your details, fill in the web-based form and upload the requested documents. Make sure to upload the document in a format such as JPEG, PDF, or PNG.
- Web-based form can be completed in one or more sessions by visiting the portal multiple times using the assigned OTP. Once the detail is entered in the relevant fields, make sure to save the data. The data entered remain editable until the payment is not made.
- Registration fees have been capped at Rs 5000/- excluding taxes and can be made via any of the given modes:
- Credit Card(MasterCard and Visa)
- Debit Card (MasterCard and Visa)
- Demand draft in favor of “APEDA” payable with respective cities
- Once the payment is made, the portal will generate the application number. This number will come in handy for the applicant for cross-referencing in the future.
- On the grant of RCMC, login info will be routed to the applicant’s email id, which is registered with the portal. The exporter may log in to their registered account via the “Exporter Login” link given at the APEDA portal.
- The status of the application can be viewed by selecting the “Track Application” link. The applicant needs to enter the IEC code & applicant number to view the status.
- If there is any error in the application form, the exporter will have to fix it and resubmit the document online.
- The final procedure is the approval of RCMC granted by the APEDA officials. Upon receiving the approval, the applicant needs to head over the option “view RCMC Certificate” under RCMC Menu to download the certification.
After availing the above certification, the applicant can carry the business related to the export of agricultural product.
Conclusion
Keep in mind that APEDA registration is mandatory concerning the export of agricultural products. After registering under this apex authority, the applicant can avail of an innumerable financial-oriented scheme. APEDA provides the exporters with benefits such as brand publicity via advertisement, data-base up-gradation, packaging development, surveys, etc.
Furthermore, the organization also renders extensive guidelines to exporters regarding multiple products and exports related matters. Individuals under APEDA registration are eligible to part in training programs conducted by APEDA for various schedule products and thereby ensure their growth.
Connect with CorpBiz’s expert just in case if you need some help regarding the APEDA registration. We can help you get this certification through minimal paperwork.
Read our article:How to apply for online APEDA Registration
