Agriculture currently accounts for 13% of overall exports and 6% of total industrial investment in India. Because of the government’s initiatives to increase agriculture through soil health cards, storage areas, infrastructure, and irrigation programs, the agriculture and processed food products business are positioned for a growth curve. The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) is a government agency that provides financial aid, information, and recommendations to companies developing scheduled products. Schedule items are products designated under the APEDA Act, and exporters of such scheduled products are required to register under APEDA. APEDA’s goal is to encourage the export of scheduled products, and to that end, it performs a variety of responsibilities under the supervision of the federal government. The APEDA Act is administered efficiently by the central government, establishing the rules and regulations and assisting them.
Did you know?
The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) was founded by the Government of India in December 1985, after Parliament approved the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority Act. The Act (2 of 1986) took effect on February 13, 1986, due to a notification published in the Indian Gazette.
Functions of APEDA
- Development of industries related to scheduled export products through financial aid or other means, such as joint ventures and various relief and subsidy schemes;
- Registration of individuals as exporters of the scheduled products in exchange for payment of any fees that may be imposed;
- Establishing standards and criteria for the scheduled products for export;
- Inspection of meat and meat products in slaughterhouses, processing factories, storage facilities, conveyances, and other areas where such goods are held or handled to ensure their quality;
- Improvements to Scheduled product packaging; enhancements to Scheduled product marketing outside of India;
- Export-oriented production and growth of Scheduled products are encouraged.
- Collection of statistics from holders of processing plants or institutions engaged in the production, processing, packaging, marketing, or export of the scheduled products, or from such other individuals as may be recommended on any matter relating to the scheduled products, and publication of the statistics so collected, or portions thereof or extracts thereof;
- Provides training in various businesses related to the scheduled items; and any other topics that may be specified.
Products Monitored
The export marketing and development of the following scheduled items is the duty of APEDA:
- Fruits, vegetables, and the products made from them.
- Meat and meat products.
- Dairy products.
- Confectionery, biscuits, and bakery products.
- Honey, jaggery, and sugar products are all examples of honey.
- Cocoa and its derivatives, as well as various chocolates
- Beverages, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic
- Cereals and cereal products.
- Nuts and nut products (groundnuts, peanuts, and walnuts)
- Pickles, papads, chutneys and other condiments.
- Guar gum.
- Floriculture and floriculture products.
- Herbal and medicinal plants and their derivative products
APEDA Registration Process
The applicant must submit the application form within one month of starting the business to be registered under APEDA. If an exporter of scheduled items fails to register within that time frame for a good reason, only the Authority has the power to extend the deadline. The authorities will provide a Registration-Cum-Membership-Certificate once the application has been properly filed and paid by the applicant (RCMC). It is a one-time registration, and all registered members are subject to the APEDA Act’s rules and regulations.
Documentation for Registration
- An application form that has been duly signed
- a copy of the D.G.F.T. Bank’s Import-Export code Authorities’ signatures on a certificate
- Bank Account statement of the firm’s bank account (for the latest two months)
- A cancelled cheque.
Advantages of APEDA Registration
- Registration under the APEDA is required for the export of scheduled products.
- APEDA’s many financial support packages are available to exporters.
- It assists exporters with brand awareness through advertising, packaging development, database upgrades, and surveys, among other things.
- It provides exporters with information on the various items and countries available for export.
- APEDA’s registered members can participate in training programs for various planned goods, allowing them to grow their businesses.
Online Registration Process
With effect from August 1st, 2015, the issue of RCMC has been done online, utilising digital signatures to simplify procedures and make doing business easier. Exporters can apply online by following the processes outlined below:
- Log in to the APEDA website and select “Register as Member” from the drop-down menu.
- Enter the necessary information – i.e., CODE, Email ID, and Mobile Number – and then submit the One Time Password for confirmation. It will be sent to your email and mobile number, which you must enter on the verification screen.
- Fill out the online application and upload the relevant documents after completing the verification. Only JPEG, PDF, or PNG formats should be used for the papers.
- By returning to the website and entering the assigned OTP, the online application can be completed in one or more sessions. Save the data once the information has been entered into the appropriate fields. You can change the information you’ve submitted until you make an online payment.
- The registration fee is ₹5000 – excluding taxes, and it can be paid using any of the following methods: a) Credit Card (MasterCard and Visa), b) Debit Card (MasterCard and Visa), c) Demand draught in favour of “APEDA” payable with respective cities.
- An application number will be generated after the payment process is completed. It is your application number, which you’ll need in the future.
- Login details will be provided to the exporter’s registered email address after issuing the RCMC. The Exporter can access their account by clicking on the “Exporter Login” link on the APEDA website.
- The status of the RCMC application can be viewed by clicking the “Track Application” link and entering the IE Code and Application number until the application is issued.
- If the application has any flaws, the exporter must monitor the situation and resubmit the document online.
- The final step is to get APEDA officials to approve RCMC. Once that happens, the Certificate may be obtained using APEDA Login under the headline “View RCMC Certificate” under the RCMC Menu. APEDA’s website contains more information.
When Can the Registration Be Cancelled?
In the following circumstances, your registration may be cancelled:
- False information was provided.
- The registering authority has broken the rules.
- Contravention of the registration certificate’s terms and conditions.
- For 12 months, the scheduled product has not been exported.
Conclusion
Agriculture plays a critical part in the Indian economy, producing a significant portion of India’s overall exports and total industrial investment. The agriculture and processed food products industries are uniformly going toward growth and expansion, which is only feasible due to government initiatives. The APEDA provides exporters with various financial assistance schemes and subsidies for the development of export infrastructures, such as processing, storage, and transportation; quality development and testing; and market development activities, like market intelligence, participation in trade shows, and high-quality packaging.
We hope that this article has explained to you in detail the APEDA registration process, documents required, online process, and advantages.
Follow Legal Tree for the latest updates, news blogs, and articles related to micro, small and medium businesses (MSMEs), business tips, income tax, GST, salary, and accounting.