Small (ellettaria), alleppey green

Alleppey green small cardamom, neither crushed nor ground

FSSAI CLEARANCE

HSN 0908 31 20 (Alleppey green small cardamom) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence and food-safety clearance under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with a Minimum Import Price of ₹500 per kilogram CIF. The tariff line is governed by Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) policy and Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) overlay; spices fall under Appendix 4J and are ineligible for import under DFIA under any circumstances.

What this is

HSN code

0908 31 20

Chapter

09 · Coffee, tea, mate and spices

Primary regulator

FSSAI · Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006

Customs documentation

Import Licence from FSSAI
Food Grade Certificate from FSSAI
Phyto Sanitary Certificate from exporter

Applicable Partner Government Agencies

FSSAIFSSAI·Food Safety and Standards Authority of India

Procedural directions for customs clearance are issued by: Directorate General of Foreign Trade, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs.

Compliance steps

1
Obtain a valid FSSAI Import Licence and ensure the consignment CIF value is at or above ₹500 per kilogram before filing the bill of entry. Upload the FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001), Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS), Food Grade Certificate (document code 6570FS), and Phyto Sanitary Certificate (document code 851000) in e-Sanchit prior to customs out-of-charge.
FSSAI Act, 2006 · Notification No. 109/(RE-2013)/2009-2014 · CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023
2
Route the consignment only through one of the designated food-import entry points per General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Labelling deficiencies permissible for rectification at the customs bonded warehouse must be corrected by affixing a single non-detachable sticker before visual inspection by the authorised FSSAI officer, without altering the original label.
General Note 4(D) of ITC (HS) 2022 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022 · CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023 · FSSAI order dated 18-11-2022
3
Do not import under a Duty Free Import Authorisation (DFIA). DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 dated 22-09-2025 confirms that all spices fall under Appendix 4J, are subject to a pre-import condition, and are ineligible for import under DFIA irrespective of intended end use. Consignments imported in contravention are liable to Restricted-import enforcement.
DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 dated 22-09-2025

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is attempting to import Alleppey green cardamom under a Duty Free Import Authorisation on the basis that the end use is manufacturing or re-export. DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 dated 22-09-2025 categorically forecloses this route — all spices fall under Appendix 4J and carry a pre-import condition, making DFIA use impermissible under any circumstances. Consignments cleared on an invalid DFIA attract retrospective duty recovery and DGFT-policy enforcement independent of the FSSAI food-safety clearance.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0908 31 20 require BIS certification?

No, whole spices including Alleppey green cardamom are not within the BIS Quality Control Order regime. Import is governed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with DGFT policy controls including a ₹500 per kilogram CIF Minimum Import Price and DFIA ineligibility under Appendix 4J.

Which documents must be uploaded in e-Sanchit at the bill of entry for this tariff line?

Four documents are mandatory: FSSAI Import Licence (911001), Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS), Food Grade Certificate (6570FS), and Phyto Sanitary Certificate (851000), all uploaded in e-Sanchit before customs out-of-charge per CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023.

Can a manufacturer import Alleppey green cardamom under DFIA for use as a raw material in food processing?

No. DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 dated 22-09-2025 confirms that all spices, including cardamom, fall under Appendix 4J and are subject to a pre-import condition, rendering import under DFIA impermissible irrespective of the intended end use.

Last verified against gazette notifications: 2026-05-16. Source: FSSAI / DGFT / CBIC / Indian Customs CUSDATA.