APEDA is the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, a body under India's Ministry of Commerce. It promotes and registers exporters of a scheduled list of agri and processed food products. Whether your supplier needs APEDA registration depends on whether your product is on that schedule.
Spices are not under APEDA. They fall under the Spices Board of India, which has its own registration.
What APEDA does
APEDA registers exporters of its scheduled products and issues a registration-cum-membership certificate, or RCMC. It also promotes Indian agri exports abroad, shares market information and runs support schemes for exporters.
APEDA also runs the secretariat for NPOP, India's organic standard, on behalf of the Ministry of Commerce. For what that means for your market, read what NPOP certification is.
Which products fall under APEDA
APEDA covers a published schedule of products. Other agri products fall under other bodies or export promotion councils. Spices, for example, are under the Spices Board, which issues the CRES. See what Spices Board registration is.
The schedule and the councils' scope can change. The simplest check is to ask your supplier which body issued its RCMC, then confirm on that body's own website that it covers your product.
Why it matters for your order
If your product is on APEDA's schedule, the exporter needs to be registered. A supplier without the right registration is a risk to your shipment, because problems can surface at export, after you have paid an advance.
The registration also helps you check who you are dealing with. The name on the RCMC should be the same legal entity that signs your contract, issues your invoice and receives your payment. If it is a different company, ask why before you go further.
For products bought from Gujarat, such as dehydrated onion and garlic, oilseeds, pulses and psyllium, do not assume which body covers them. Check each one against the current schedules.
What an RCMC tells you, and what it does not
An RCMC shows that the business is registered as an exporter with the relevant body, holds an Importer Exporter Code from DGFT, and has its legal name and address on record. It does not show:
- That the business processes the goods itself.
- Its capacity, quality control or food safety standards.
- That the goods meet the law in your country.
What to check alongside it
Registrations confirm that a business exists and may export. Only a visit, an audit and lab tests tell you whether it can deliver your specification.
- The Importer Exporter Code, on the DGFT website.
- The FSSAI licence, and that it covers the premises where your goods are processed. See what FSSAI is.
- For spices, the CRES from the Spices Board.
- Any food safety certificate you require, checked with the body that issued it.
- That the same legal name appears on every registration, the contract, the invoice and the bank account.
How we help
We collect and check a supplier's registrations before you commit, and then audit the facility itself. We share the real factory name and the documents we checked. Start with a free sourcing review.