APEDA Registration
APEDA Registration
The Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, commonly known as APEDA, was established in 1985 as per the prescriptions mentioned in the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority Act of 1985, aimed to develop and promote the export of scheduled products. It has been formed to offer financial assistance, guidelines, and information concerning planned product development. These prepared products have been listed in the Act mentioned above, and the exporters of such products are required to register themselves under the APEDA. In this article, we look at APEDA Registration and the essentials surrounding the same.
Objective
The following is the objective of the Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority/ APEDA.
The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority/ APEDA aims to promote the export of scheduled products as per the APEDA Act and the Central Government.
To achieve this, various functions are undertaken under the regulations of the Central Government. Along with its implementation, the rules and regulations are taken care of by the Central Government through the APEDA for efficient administration.
Functions
The APEDA is vested with the following responsibilities.
- Registration of individuals as exporters of scheduled products on the payment of the prescribed fee.
- Development of Scheduled-Products Industries concerning exports by offering financial assistance, conducting surveys and feasibility studies, and participation in inquiry capital through joint ventures, other reliefs, and subsidy schemes.
- For exports, we are calibrating the standards and specifications for scheduled products.
- They are conducting inspections on meat and meat products in slaughterhouses, processing plants, storage premises, and conveyances, including other sites where such products are kept/ handled, to ensure the standard and quality of the said products.
- We are enhancing the marketing scene of scheduled products around the world.
- We are enhancing the packaging of scheduled products.
- Promotion of the production and the development of scheduled products in export.
- Training in multiple aspects of the sector that is interconnected with scheduled products.
- They collect statistics on production, processing, packaging, marketing, and scheduled product export. This data would be collected from owners of factories or establishments or any individual as prescribed on any subject concerning expected outcomes. They could also be obtained from publications and extracts as well.
Products monitored by APEDA.
The APEDA is responsible for promoting and developing the export of the following products that come under the scheduled products category as per the APEDA Act.
- Meat and meat products
- Fruits, vegetables, and their products
- Poultry and poultry products
- Dairy products
- Honey, jaggery, and sugar products
- Confectionery, biscuits, and bakery products
- Cocoa and its products, including chocolates of every kind.
- Groundnuts, peanuts, and walnuts
- Cereal and cereal products
- Pickles, papads, and chutneys
- Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages
- Guar gum
- Herbal and medicinal plants
- Floriculture and floriculture products
Along with these products, one of the primary responsibilities of the APEDA is to monitor the import of sugar.
Advantages of Registration
APEDA Registration is mandatory when it comes to the export of scheduled products. The following are the advantages of APEDA Registration.
- Exporters may avail of various financial assistance schemes under the APEDA.
APEDA provides rules, regulations, and guidelines to exporters on various products as per the concerned country for export. - The registration enhances the brand and helps exporters in terms of brand publicity through advertisements, packaging development, database upgradation and surveys, and so on.
- APEDA-registered members can participate in training programs organized and held by APEDA for multiple scheduled products, thereby bringing constant and significant improvements in their business.
Documents Required
The following documents are required for APEDA Registration.
- Application Form for the APEDA Registration that is completed and duly signed.
- Copy of the Import-Export Code issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade.
- Bank Certificate that is duly signed by the concerned authorities.
- Account statement for the last two months of the firm’s bank account.
- Canceled Cheque
Registration Process
The applicant is required to submit an application form to register themselves under APEDA within a month from the date of undertaking the business. If the exporter fails to register themselves in the given timeline with sufficient cause, the concerned authority could only extend the timeline.
Once the applicant completes the required forms and pays the requisite fee, the concerned authority will issue a Registration-cum-Membership-Certificate (RCMC). This is a one-time registration, and the rules and regulations under the APEDA Act govern the registered members.
Online Process
Step 1: Log on to the APEDA webpage to register yourself.
Step 2: Click on the Register as Member tab.
Step 3: Enter necessary details such as Import-Export Code, Email Address, and Mobile Number. Then, click on the Submit icon.
Step 4: A One-Time Password/ OTP will be sent to your registered Email Address and Mobile Number to confirm the details. The same would be required to be entered in the field provided on the verification screen. Click on the Submit icon to continue.
Step 5: Once the verification is done, the online application must be completed with the appropriate information, and the essential documents must be uploaded.
Note: The documents that have to be uploaded must be in JPEG, PDF, or PNG formats only.
Step 5: The online application may be completed in more than one session by visiting the same page with the appropriate OTP. Once the essential information is entered in its respective fields, the Form has to be saved. The entered data may be edited until the payment is made online.
Step 6: The registration fee is INR 5000, excluding taxes, and can be made through any of the following modes of payment:
- Credit Card (MasterCard and Visa)
- Debit Card (MasterCard and Visa)
- Demand draft in favor of APEDA is payable at respective cities.
Step 7: An Application Number will be generated after the payment has been made successfully. This would be required for future reference.
Step 8: On issuance of the RCMC, the login credentials will be sent to your registered Email Address. You may log in to your APEDA account by clicking on the Exporter Login tab that can be found on the APEDA homepage.
Step 9: The status of the RCMC application may be viewed by clicking the Track Application tab and submitting the Import-Export Code along with the Application Number.
Step 10: If there are shortcomings in the submitted application, the exporter must re-submit the application and documents online.
Step 11: The final step is the approval of the RCMC by the APEDA Officials. Once permission is granted, the Certificate may be obtained using the APEDA portal under the tab of View RCMC Certificate under the RCMC Menu.
NOTE
The following documents are to be submitted along with the application form. It should be noted that a hard copy of any document is NOT required for applying RCMC from the APEDA.
- Self-certified copy of the Import-Export Code issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade.
- Bank Certificate that is duly signed by the concerned authorities.
- Suppose you desire to register yourself as a Manufacturer Exporter. In that case, you must furnish a self-attested copy of the company registration and certifications from relevant certification agencies for the following products.
|
Products |
Certification Agencies |
|
Floriculture and Seeds |
Department of Horticulture/ DIC/ SIA/ FSSAI |
|
Fruits and Vegetables |
Department of Agriculture/ Horticulture/ DIC/ SIA/ FSSAI |
|
Groundnut/ Pulses/ Guar Gum |
DIC/ SIA/ FSSAI/ Udyog Aadhaar Memorandum issued by the Ministry of MSME |
|
Processed Fruits and Vegetables/ Processed Food Products/ Meat Products/ Cereal Preparation/ Miscellaneous Preparation |
FSSAI |
|
Dairy/ Poultry/ Honey |
FSSAI/ EIC/ EIA |
|
Alcoholic Beverages |
Department of Excise Commissioner |
| Cereals |
DIC/ SIA/ FSSAI/ Udyog Aadhaar Memorandum issued by the Ministry of MSME |
DGFT Registration cum Membership Certificate (RCMC)
Earlier, an exporter desiring to obtain an RCMC had to file an application in Form ANF 2C with the Tea Board and declare his mainstream business in the application. The procedure was outlined above for reference.
The Director-General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has issued a Trade Notice No.35/2021-2022 for Mandatory Electronic filing of Registration Cum Membership Certificate (RCMC) or Registration Certificate (RC) through DGFT Common Digital Platform with effect from 01.04.2022.
With this Trade Notice, DGFT informed that a new Common Digital Platform (DGFT e-RCMC module) for Issuance of RCMC had been developed, which would be single-point access for all exporters & importers. This Common Digital Platform is designed to provide an electronic, contactless single window for the RCMC/RC-related processes, including Applications for Fresh/ Amendment/ Renewal of RCMC/ RC.
The Common Digital Platform for Electronic filing of RCMC shall be available at https://dgft.gov.in.
