Overview

India’s export of oilseeds and products dates back to many decades. Groundnuts, Sesame seeds, Safflower seeds, Sunflower seeds, Niger seeds, Mustard seeds, found their way from India to international market since many years. Groundnut and Sesame together account for over 80% share in India’s oilseed export basket.

India is the largest exporter of groundnuts and sesame seed in the world with a share of about 29% and 19 % respectively in the world trade .

Roles and responsibilities of IOPEPC

Engaged in the development and promotion of exports of oilseeds and oils, Indian Oilseeds and Produce Export Promotion Council (IOPEPC), has been catering to the needs of exporters since past six decade.

Procedure for export of Sesame Seed :

Ministry of Commerce, Government of India has assigned the responsibility of development and promotion of oilseeds to the Council.
Responding to the concerns of European Union regarding quality of sesame seed imported from India, IOPEPC has been assigned the responsibility of establishing a procedure for sesame seed export.

Following are some of the activities of IOPEPC :

Fairs & Exhibitions :

  • Organising participation in International and Domestic Trade Fairs 
  • Organizing exclusive Buyer-Seller Meets (BSMs) and Reverse Buyer Seller Meet (RBSM) both in India as well as in overseas markets
  • Organising factory visits of delegation of its members abroad to see the latest technology used. 
  • Organising also organized so as to strengthen supply-chain and create awareness regarding the quality issues amongst stakeholders of the trade and industry.

Liaising with Government :

  • The Council facilitates interaction between exporting community and Govt. both at the Central and State level. It also has representation in various committees/panels of Central and State governments.
  • Advising Government on the export-import policy matters.
  • Coordinating with various Government agencies/departments with regard the issues faced by members

Conducting Trade Meets & Surveys :

  • Conducting Crop Survey to assess the supply-demand situation well in advance so that effective export strategy can be chalked out
  • Conducting market surveys and providing market intelligence through various cluster studies, research reports & journals.

Providing Effective Dispute Settlement Mechanism :

The Council also acts as Institutional Arbitrator to provide speedy justice at much lower costs, thereby providing an excellent dispute redressal/settlement mechanism.

Certification of Warehouses and Processing Units for exports of Sesame Seed to EU :

The Council has been entrusted with the responsibility of inspecting warehouses and processing units which are engaged in the exports of sesame seed to EU. The Council also issues Certificate of exports and Health Certificate for sesame seed exports to EU.

Oilseeds and Oils under the Purview of the IOPEPC

Oilseeds:

Groundnut, Sesame seed, Soybean, Mustard/Rapeseed, Niger seed, Safflower seed, Sunflower seed, Linseed, Cotton seed, Castor seed.

Oils

Groundnut oil, Sesame oil, Soya oil, Mustard oil, Safflower oil, Sunflower oil, Linseed oil, Cotton oil, Castor oil and Peanut butter.

The stars among Indian Oilseeds & Oils:

India is the largest exporter of Sesame seeds and Groundnuts in world markets. While the Sesame seeds constitute about 31% of the total oilseeds exports, Groundnuts constitute about 61% of the total oilseeds exports from India.

Advantage India

  • The Indian climate is highly congenial for cultivation of the oilseed crops. 
  • India implies stringent quality standards for export of oilseeds and oils.  Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Good Manufacturing Practices are followed systematically.
  • The consignments are tested before shipments to maintain quality.
  • Indian sesame seed both white and black are preferred by importing countries. The sesame seed are bold in size, containing more fat.