Import restriction on pigeon peas: quota exhausted, no new authorisations will be issued; pre-existing LCs remain permitted.
Import of Pigeon Peas (Toor Dal) has been made restricted subject to an annual quota; because the fiscal year quota is already exhausted, no further import procedures or authorisations will be issued, but imports under irrevocable Letters of Credit opened before 5 August 2017 and duly registered with jurisdictional RAs are permitted under the Handbook of Procedures and Foreign Trade Policy registration provisions.

Amendment to Foreign Trade Policy updates Appendix entries, revising chamber name and council address for administrative records.
Amendment to the Foreign Trade Policy updates Appendix - 2E by changing the recorded name "Indian Merchants' Chamber" to "IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry" for Mumbai and New Delhi entries and by revising the Trade Promotion Council of India's address and contact details to the Connaught Circus location; the notice is issued under paragraph 2.04 of the Foreign Trade Policy to effect these administrative corrections.

Certificate of Origin requirement for Muli-bamboo and bamboo products mandates legal sourcing verification and limited validity.
Exports of Muli-bamboo and bamboo products require a prescribed Certificate of Origin issued by the State Forest Department or Agriculture Department certifying that the material was obtained from a legal source. Certificates must record applicant and registration details, location, inspection and transit particulars, source location and quantity or product specifications. Finished products require certified photographs with a measuring scale. Each certificate is valid for two months from date of issue. Exclusions include bamboo charcoal, bamboo pulp and unprocessed bamboo shoots.

Tariff Rate Quota for refined sugar: exporters advised to secure a US applicant for first-come-first-served specialty allocations.
A non-country specific Tariff Rate Quota for refined sugar for US fiscal year 2018 allocates the WTO minimum plus an additional specialty sugar quantity, with organic and other specialty imports administered by US authorities on a first-come, first-served basis in five tranches. Due to high competition and rapid filling of specialty allocations, Indian exporters are advised to identify a US-based company to apply to the USDA to access the tariff-free quota and thus facilitate exports of specialty sugar to the USA.

Border haat trade permits specified local goods to be exchanged by residents within a radius, via barter or local currency.
Trade in designated Border Haats between India and Bangladesh is authorised under the Foreign Trade Policy and the bilateral MOU, identifying permissible classes of goods and allowing list amendments by the Joint Committee. Vendors and purchasers must be residents within a five kilometre radius and vendor numbers are capped. Commodities may be exchanged by barter or in local currency for bona fide personal consumption subject to a specified per day local currency purchase limit, and foreign exchange regulations are suspended for transactions in the Border Haats.

Bank guarantee monitoring: authorities must maintain BG registers and decide enforcement or revalidation before expiry.
Regional Authorities must monitor Bank Guarantees under the Foreign Trade Policy and Handbook of Procedures by maintaining a Bank Guarantee Register for BGs with outstanding export obligations or unredeemed status; the Register is to be reviewed monthly by supervisory officers. RAs must initiate extensions or enforcement of BGs well before expiry, and the decision to enforce or extend a BG-having revenue implications-must be taken by the Head of the Office. RAs must endorse authorisations to require Customs to release or redeem BG/LUT only after receipt of NOC or End Use Documentation and forward such endorsements to Customs at the port of registration.

Tariff Rate Quota allocation for raw sugar to USA allows limited preferential exports subject to export duty and certification.
Allocation of 8424 MT of raw sugar to the USA under the Tariff Rate Quota from the non levy (Free Sale) quota for the US fiscal year 2018 is authorised; exports are governed by the TRQ framework, remain subject to the 20% export duty on sugar w.e.f. 16 June 2016, and must meet certification requirements including Certificate of Origin issued by the Additional Director General of Foreign Trade, Mumbai, together with the reporting obligations prescribed in the cited notifications.

Import entitlement amendment increases raw cashew requirement for cashew kernel exports under FTP trade notification.
Amendment to SION entry E8 revises the input entitlement for cashew kernel exports in the Handbook of Procedure Vol. II, increasing the quantity of raw cashew required per unit of exported cashew kernel and thereby changing the import entitlement applicable at the cited serial item under the Foreign Trade Policy.

SCOMET export controls tightened: defined validity, revalidation limits, EFC/IMWG procedures and repeat order conditions enforced.
The Public Notice prescribes validity periods for various import/export authorisations, sets revalidation limits (six months per revalidation, DGFT control over atypical extensions), and bars revalidation of transferable scrips except when validity expired in custody of government authorities. It formalises EXIM Facilitation Committee procedures including technical comments, port specific import registration and ex post facto issuance on unanimous NOCs, and defines IMWG criteria and procedural requirements for export of SCOMET items, including end user certifications, additional assurances, category specific licensing, display exemptions, repeat order limits, and that SCOMET revalidation follows the general revalidation provision.

Exemption from trade rules: specified government, diplomatic, transit and bonded imports excluded from Rules subject to conditions.
The Order exempts specified categories of imports and exports from application of the Rules, including imports by Central and State Governments and their agencies, defence procurements, consignments placed through the Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals, diplomatic and UN imports with duty exemptions, passenger baggage and tourist imports subject to re export obligations, postal and in transit consignments in custody of postal or customs authorities, and goods imported and bonded for re export, subject to prescribed conditions and penalties for failure to establish re export.

Implementation of GST prompts DGFT to open a trade call centre for queries upon commencement of the regime.
Goods and Services Tax implementation is effective from 1 July 2017; the DGFT regional office notifies trade that a GST Call Centre will operate from that date to address trade queries and provides a telephone contact for assistance.

GST on imports under FTP: IGST payable with input tax credit; Advance Authorisation exemptions limited to basic customs duty.
References to Central Excise Authority in the FTP are to be read as Jurisdictional Customs Authority; Duty Credit Scrips cannot be used for payment of IGST or GST compensation cess on imports or for CGST/SGST/IGST and GST compensation cess on domestic procurement. Advance Authorisation exemptions will not cover IGST or GST compensation cess; importers must pay IGST and may claim ITC. ARO facility is restricted to items in Schedule 4. EOUs must pay applicable GST on domestic procurements and on DTA clearances may need to repay customs exemptions; deemed export drawback and TED refunds are limited principally to basic customs duty except where Schedule 4 central excise exemptions apply.

MEIS benefit extension for onion exports preserves previously notified export incentive applicability under the foreign trade policy.
Extends the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) incentive for exports of Onions Fresh or Chilled under the specified tariff classification, maintaining the previously notified FOB-based incentive rate, and continuing MEIS coverage for shipments effected during the extended period under the authority of the foreign trade policy as reflected in earlier public notices.

Permanent IEC Numbering Revised: alpha numeric IECs now apply to exempt importer/exporter categories, effective implementation follows.
Revised alpha numeric permanent IEC numbers are prescribed for specified exempt importer/exporter categories under paragraph 2.07(b) of the Handbook of Procedure (2015-20), to be used by non commercial PSUs and the listed categories (central and state ministries/agencies, diplomatic personnel and UNO officials, baggage claimants, personal/charitable importers, cross border trade with Nepal/Myanmar/Bhutan, ATA carnet exhibitors, Director National Blood Group, and Reserve Bank authorised non commercial entities); the migration to alpha numeric IECs is effective 1 July 2017.

GST Call Centre operational weekdays to handle GST queries; dedicated phone line and email for responses.
A dedicated GST Call Centre is established to handle GST queries, operational from the stated start date on weekdays during specified business hours. Shri C. M. Ram, Foreign Trade Development Officer, is in charge and a dedicated telephone number is provided. A separate e mail ID is activated for GST queries, and e mail responses will be managed by the GST Facilitation Cell constituted as per the earlier Trade Notice.

GST Help Desk established to answer Foreign Trade Policy queries and provide administrative guidance on GST-related trade issues.
A dedicated GST Help Desk has been constituted within the Foreign Trade administration as the primary contact point for exporters, importers and intermediaries seeking clarification on GST treatment and procedural interactions between GST and the Foreign Trade Policy; it operates on a query-response basis to provide administrative guidance and facilitate timely resolution of GST-related compliance and procedural questions.

GST Facilitation Cell established as first contact for GST queries under the Foreign Trade Policy, with designated office contacts.
Constitution of a GST Facilitation Cell in the Office of the Joint Director General of Foreign Trade, Cochin, designated as the first point of contact for GST-related queries under the Foreign Trade Policy, staffed by named Jt.DGFT office officials with provided contact emails and telephone numbers for stakeholder assistance.

GST Facilitation Cell established to serve as first point of contact for Foreign Trade Policy GST issues and rollout support.
Constitution of a GST Facilitation Cell in the office of the Additional Director General of Foreign Trade, CLA, New Delhi as the primary contact for addressing GST-related issues under the Foreign Trade Policy; the Cell is headed by Dr. Amiya Chandra, Joint DGFT, with named Deputy DGFT members and provided contact emails to facilitate stakeholder engagement and coordination.

GST Help Desk established to address GST queries under Foreign Trade Policy, offering phone and email support for traders.
A GST Help Desk has been established at DGFT Headquarters to respond to GST queries related to the Foreign Trade Policy, complementing prior Trade Notice No. 08/2018. The Help Desk provides administrative support to Regional Authorities, trade stakeholders, Export Promotion Councils and Commodity Boards, and accepts enquiries via a dedicated telephone line and an e-mail address to clarify GST application to trade procedures and policy benefits.

Use of PAN as IEC simplifies importer exporter identification and requires PAN quoting in trade documents after GST implementation.
PAN will be used as the entity's IEC after GST implementation; GSTIN remains the transaction level identifier where registered. New IEC applicants will have PAN authorized as IEC, residuary categories will use DGFT authorized identifiers, and DGFT will migrate existing IEC records to PAN without action by current IEC holders. Importers and exporters must quote PAN in future trade documentation from the notified date.