Procedure Export of Banana From India

Bananas today are considered one of the most lucrative fruits all around the world. It is the most popular fruit across all social classes due to its year-round availability, low cost, wide variety, flavour, nutritional value, and therapeutic properties. Both the ripe and unripe fruit is cooked and consumed. Excess cultivation of the crop production is a financially viable venture as that increases productivity, improves produce quality, and enables early crop maturity with premium pricing. Exporters from India have an edge over the sale of bananas as it has a considerably good relationship with West Asia.

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Legal Provisions

India exports the largest stock of its bananas to the Middle East countries. However, with the growing demand from other countries, India’s largest importers of bananas are United States of America, Germany, Russia, Belgium, and Japan. In the domestic market, bananas are delivered in trucks in entire bunches, ripen there, are cut into hands, and then are delivered in plastic crates.

• Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export and Development Authority (APEDA)

By helping exporters under different parts of its programme, such as infrastructure development, quality development, and market development, the authority encourages the export of agricultural and processed food goods.

• Import Export Code (IEC)

For import and export from India, a unique 10-digit code called IEC is required. The Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) is the one who issues it, and its validity is for a lifetime. Apart from the IEC being a mandatory licensing required for import export, it has several other benefits. No return filings are necessary once you've applied for an IEC licence. There is no requirement to follow any form of procedures for supporting your registration's legitimacy once it has been completed. There are no prerequisites for the DGFT to accept any revenues as documentation.

• FSSAI Registration

The FSSAI is the prime authority that is set up to grant licenses to a food product. Established under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, unless approval and a license are not obtained, the food product is deemed to have not cleared the basic safety standards.

Agricultural exports are determined by supply side factors, food security, processing facilities, infrastructure bottlenecks and several regulations. This involves multiple ministries namely-

1. Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare DAC&FW
2. Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHDF)
3. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
4. Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) / of Agricultural Research (ICAR) 
5. Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI)
6. Ministry of Shipping & Transport
7. Ministry of Railways
8. Ministry of Civil Aviation Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA)
9. Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD)

Pesticide and chemical residues are a chief cause of concern for Indian agricultural exports. Indian food exports are sometimes rejected due to residues found that are higher than Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) of importing nations.

Export Standards of Bananas - CLASS

Bananas are classified into 3 main categories

Class 1

This sort of bananas must be of high calibre. They have to be traits exclusive to the variety.

However, the following minor flaws in the fingers are acceptable as long as they don't damage the produce's overall appearance, quality, keeping quality, or presentation in the packaging.

• Small form and colour imperfections
• Small rubbing scars and other superficial flaws that do not cover more than 2cm of the skin's surface area

Class 2

This class includes bananas that meet the minimal standards outlined in Section 2.1 but do not meet the criteria for admission in the higher classes. However, if the bananas preserve their quality, and presentation, the following flaws may be tolerated-

• Shape and colour flaws, as long as the product still exhibits the typical qualities of a banana.
• Skin flaws under 4 cm2 in size that are caused by blemishes, scabs, rubbing, or other reasons. In any case, the fruit's meat is unlikely to be impacted by the flaws. 

Extra Class

This category of bananas must be of the most superior quality. They must exhibit traits common to the commercial type or variant.

Cleanliness & Contaminants

• Cleanliness

The Recommended International Code of Practice - General Principles of Food Hygiene, The Code of Hygienic Practice for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables, and other pertinent Codex texts, such as Codes of Hygienic Practice and Codes of Practice, are all recommended for the preparation and handling of the produce of Bananas. 

• Contaminants

Any microbiological standards established in accordance with the Principles for the Establishment and Application of Microbiological Criteria for Foods should be met by the produce.

Quality

The following requirements must apply to all classes of bananas, subject to the special rules for each class and the permitted tolerances:

• Entire (using the finger as a point of comparison)
• Food that is healthy and free from rot or other deterioration that renders it unsafe for ingestion 
• Pristine, virtually free of any discernible foreign material
• Practically devoid of pests that negatively impact the produce's overall look; practically free of pest-caused harm
• Void of unusual external moisture, excluding condensation that occurs after removal from cold storage and bananas packed in modified environment conditions
• Devoid of any extraneous flavours or odours
• Firm
• Free from damage brought on by cold
• Almost bruise-free
• Without abnormal finger curvature or deformity
• Without pistils;- with the stalk unbroken, unbent, unharmed by fungus, or without desiccation

Essential Documents Required for Export

• Goods-related documents

1. Invoice
2. Packing List
3. Origin Certificate

• Shipment-related paperwork

1. Mate Receipt 
2. Shipping Bill
3. Bill of Handing
4. Bill of Airway

• Documents pertaining to payments

1. Letters of Credit
2. Bills of Exchange

• Documents pertaining to product quality

1. Health Certificate 
2. Phytosanitary Certificate 
3. GLOBALGAP Certification
4. Organic Certification

• Certificate stating that the food was produced using organic methods.
• Foreign Exchange Regulations-Related Documents

1. Documents known as GR Forms are needed by the RBI to guarantee that the exporter will get the proceeds of the products within 180 days after the date of shipment.

• Other Document Bank Realization Certification (BRC)

1. The Foreign Exchange Bank provides this guidance following the release of funds. 

Packaging Standards for Exports

The following special provisions apply in addition to the Codex General Standard for the labelling of Pre-packaged Foods:

• Production

Each packaging must be labelled with the name of the fruit and may also include the name of the variety if the item is not visible from the outside.

• Containers Not for Retail

The following information must be written on one side of each package, legibly marked, and visible from the outside, or it must be included in the shipping documents.

• ID Information

Identification information of the exporter, packer, and/or dispatcher.

• Origin

Country of origin and, if available, the growing area's district as well as a national, regional, or local place name.

• Conformity

Each package's contents must be consistent and only include bananas of the same origin, variety, and quality. The visible portion of the package's contents must accurately reflect everything inside.

• Packaging

1. Bananas must be packaged appropriately to safeguard the produce. The materials utilised inside the packaging must be brand-new, spotless, and of a calibre that prevents the produce from suffering any external or interior damage. Materials, especially paper or stamps holding trade requirements, may be used as long as they have been printed or labelled using non-toxic ink or adhesive.
2. To guarantee proper handling, shipment, and preservation of the bananas, the containers must meet the requirements for quality, hygienic conditions, ventilation, and resilience. Packages must be odour- and foreign-matter-free.

• Compliance

According to the recommended International Code of Practice for Packaging and Transport of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables, bananas must be packaged in containers.

Conclusion

Banana exports have increased as a result of India adopting agriculture practises that meet International standards. India's April-May exports of bananas have increased eightfold during the past nine years. Recent growth rates demonstrate that domestic food supply is increasing more quickly than domestic demand, and the amount of surplus for export is expanding more quickly. As a result, there is potential and opportunity to gain access to international markets, generate foreign currency, and raise agricultural product prices for producers.