APEDA Registration in India Documents and Eligibility

APEDA is the abbreviation for Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority. It is an executive organization established in 1985 through an act for the growth and promotion of export of scheduled products. The prime objective of this establishment was expansion and elevation of export of agricultural products and to offer financial assistance, guidelines, and information concerning the development of scheduled products. On successful registration to APEDA, an RCMC( Registration Cum Membership Certificate) will be issued by the Export Promotion Council or the Commodity Board to the applicant.

Functions of APEDA

→ Development of industries relating to the scheduled products for export by way of providing financial assistance or otherwise for undertaking surveys and feasibility studies, participation in inquiry capital through joint ventures, and other reliefs and subsidy schemes.
→ Registration of persons as exporters of the scheduled products on payment of such fees as may be prescribed.
→ Fixing of standards and specifications for the scheduled products for the purpose of exports.
→ Carrying out inspection of meat and meat products in slaughterhouses, processing plants, storage premises, conveyances, or other places where such products are kept or handled for the purpose of ensuring the quality of such products.
→ Improving packaging of the Scheduled products and improving its marketing outside India.
→ Promotion of export-oriented production and development of the Scheduled products.
→ Collection of statistics from the owners of factories or establishments engaged in the production, processing, packaging, marketing, or export of the scheduled products or from such other persons as may be prescribed on any matter relating to the scheduled products and publication of the statistics so collected or of any portions thereof or extracts therefrom.
→ Training in various aspects of the industries connected with the scheduled products.

Eligibility for APEDA Registration

Every individual who is an exporter of Scheduled Products shall obtain APEDA registration. A person can be registered either as a merchant exporter or as a manufacturing exporter. Following are the lists of Products provided under the APEDA Act, 1985.

First Schedule

1. Fruits, vegetables, and their products
2. Meat and meat products
3. Poultry and poultry products
4. Dairy products
5. Confectionary, biscuits, and bakery products
6. Honey, jaggery, and sugar products
7. All kinds of chocolates, Cocoa, and its products
8. Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages
9. Cereals and Cereal products
10. Groundnuts, peanuts, and walnuts
11 Guar Gum
12. Pickles, chutneys, and papads
13. Floriculture and floriculture products
14. Herbal and medicinal plants
15. De-oiled rice bran
16. Green pepper in brine

Second Schedule

1-basmati Rice

Registration Process

The applicant must submit the application form within 1 month from the date of undertaking the business. Once the application is duly filed and paid by the applicant, the authority will issue a Registration -Cum- Membership Certificate (RCMC). This is a one-time registration and all the registered members are governed by the rules & regulations under APEDA Act. Exporters can submit an application online and the steps are listed below:

Step 1- Login to APEDA Website and click on the “Register as Member” tab

Step 2- Enter detail like IE CODE, Email ID & Mobile number and submit 

Step 3- An OTP for confirming the details will be sent via Email and mobile number. Enter the same on the verification screen and click on ‘Submit’.

Step 4- After successful verification, fill in the online application and upload the required documents. The documents required are as follows and should be in JPEG, PDF, or PNG formats only.

→ An application form with proper signature
→ Self-certified copy of Import Export Code (IEC) issued by the Director-General of Foreign Trade.
→ Bank Certificate having a signature of the authorities
→ Bank Account statement of the bank account of the firm (for the latest 2 months)
→ Canceled cheque

Step 5- The application can be completed in one or more sessions by revisiting the website using the assigned OTP. Once the information is entered in the respective fields, you can save the data. The data entered can be edited until online payment is not made which is Rs. 5000/- excluding taxes.

Step 6- After completion of the Payment process, an application number will be generated. Save it for future reference.

Step 7- The final procedure is the approval of RCMC from APEDA officials and once the approval is granted the Certificate can be taken using APEDA, log in under the heading of “View RCMC Certificate” under RCMC Menu. On issuance of RCMC, Login details will be sent to the registered email of the exporter. The Exporter may log in into their account through the “Exporter Login” link given at APEDA website.

Benefits of Getting APEDA Registration

→ Registered exporters can obtain guidelines on improving the packaging and marketing of the Scheduled Products to be exported.
→ He/She can attend training sessions conducted by APEDA in various aspects of the industries connected with the Scheduled Products.
→ Registered individuals can get enlisted under the Exporters Directory available on the APEDA website.
→ Publicity of the brand by advertising and promoting the products with the APEDA registration.
→ Any individual or entity who wants to indulge in the export of the scheduled products is required to obtain APEDA Registration which provides a legal backup to the business.

Conclusion

The membership of APEDA will provide all the guidance such as financial aid, guidance in production, and most importantly access to training and seminars organized by APEDA that will help build a secure future. Furthermore, add-on benefits include helping exporters in terms of brand publicity through advertisements, packaging development, database upgradation and surveys, expert guidance, and so on. In a nutshell, registering with APEDA is very beneficial for every exporter involved in the export of scheduled products.