Tea Board India

The Tea Board India is an organization administered by the Ministry of Commerce, the Government of India, to promote tea production and the export of Indian Tea. The Tea Board acts as an Export promotion agency for promoting Indian Tea and supporting the development of domestic Tea markets. The Board, headquartered in Kolkata, works towards boosting the growth of the Indian Tea industry by conducting international trade fairs, exhibitions, and other export promotional activities.

The objective of the Tea Board

The primary objective of the Tea Board of India is to enhance the production, productivity, and quality of Indian tea products and to bring about exports of Indian Tea to various destinations globally.

The vision of Tea Board India

The vision of the Tea Board is to make our country a leading producer and supplier of quality Tea in the global market.

The mission of Tea Board India

The mission of Tea Board India is to develop effective management strategies to facilitate tea export.

To inaugurate an innovative processing technology for producing good quality teas in India.
Augmentation of high-value tea exports from India to global markets
The competence and innovation in tea plantations
Capacity Building for human resources at all levels in the tea Industry
Strengthening of Research and Development (R&D) efforts on all aspects of tea farming and technology

Products Covered under Tea Board India

The Tea Board India issues RCMC for the export of the following types and grades of Tea products:

Bulk Tea
Packet tea
Teabags
Instant Tea

Tea Board Membership Benefits

On grant of registration as an exporter of Tea, Tea Board India issues the Registration-cum-Membership-Certificate (RCMC). The Benefits of obtaining Membership from the Tea Board of India are as follows:

The Tea Board members can participate in the Major tea trade shows and exhibitions held in significant Tea consuming nations. The key idea of this export promotion activity is to promote awareness about the quality of Indian Tea to overseas roasters, traders, and consumers.
The Tea Board India conducts many programs for exporters to select fine teas and expose them to export markets.
The exports of valued added teas in retail packs and export of Tea to high-value far-off destinations are eligible for the incentives under the Tea board's export promotion scheme.
To offset the transaction costs to some extent and enable the Indian exporters to be competitive in the export market, assistance is provided to exporters.
The export incentives furnish an opportunity to expand Indian Tea in higher-value destinations and reinforce its presence in the traditional markets.

Tea Board Membership Registration

Every registered exporter must register with the Tea Board to obtain a Registration cum-Membership Certificate under the Export-Import Policy of the Government of India to avail of import/export entitlement and duty drawback benefits.

Membership Categories

The eligibility criteria for obtaining RCMC from Tea Board are as follows:

Manufacturer Exporter

A Manufacturer Exporter is a person who manufactures and imports Tea products themself for export purposes.

Merchant Exporter

A merchant Exporter is a person who trades and imports raw tea materials, gets them manufactured on a job or contract basis, and exports the finished tea products.

Required Documents for Tea Board RCMC

The applicant firm needs to submit the following required documents to the Tea Board to obtain RCMC:

Application form in prescribed format with properly signed along with date and seal of the proprietor, partner, Director, Authorized Signatory
Copy of Import Export Code (IEC) issued by DGFT
Copy of Tea Board's exporter license
Declaration in the company letterhead to the effect that the Applicant is regularly submitting monthly export returns (including NIL returns) to Tea Board
Application fees by D.D drawn in favor of Tea Board, Kolkata

Note: The Applicant must submit the documents mentioned above for the renewal of RCMC.

Application Fee for Tea Board Membership Registration

The Applicant must pay an application fee of Rs.5600 to obtain the Registration cum Membership Certificate from Tea Board India.

The validity of Tea Board RCMC

The Tea Board India's Registration Cum Membership Certificate (RCMC) is valid until the exporter license or validity of the current Foreign Trade Policy, whichever is earlier.

Application Procedure for Tea Board India Membership Registration

An exporter has to apply to register with the Tea Board as one of the members of a registered exporter of Tea. After registration of the exporter as a Registered Tea Exporter, the tea board will issue RCMC: The applicant firm needs to apply for RCMC in the prescribed format and furnish the same to the nearest Regional Office, Head Office, or Zonal office of the Tea Board. The Tea Board India will issue a Registration Cum Membership Certificate (RCMC) within two working days from the date of receipt of the RCMC application (if found incomplete in all respect) in the Head office and within ten working days if the applications submitted in the Zonal/Regional Offices of the Board.

Online Application Procedure

The Applicant can also apply online for getting RCMC of Tea Board; the procedure is as follows:

The exporter needs to access the home page of the eGiCCS Portal of Tea Board India to obtain the Registration Cum Membership Certificate.

Tea Board India - eGiCCS Home Page

From the home page, select the Sign Up option and provide the details of the Applicant's name, Company details, and contact details. The Applicant will provide a User name and password by clicking on the register option.

Tea Board India -User Registration

After login into the portal, the Applicant must select the Registration Cum Membership Certificate (RCMC) radio button and click on the Proceed button. By clicking on the Click to Apply option, the Applicant can provide all mandatory details for issuing the RCMC.

Tea Board India - RCMC Application

Provide the details of the main line of business, IEC code, if applicable, and description of goods to be exported, and then click Save and Next to move to the next page.

Tea Board India - Application Details Page

On the new page, provide details of the name and address of branch offices, name and address of the factory, SSI registration details, and export license details, and then click on the Save and Next button to proceed further.
In the new section, attach all supporting documents by clicking the connect button and then clicking Save and Next. After securing the document, select the payment mode for completing the RCMC application fee payment.

Tea Board India - Application Document Upload Page

After the payment, the Applicant needs to download the Form, sign on the application form, and upload the same; after uploading the application, the Applicant can apply to the tea board.
After successfully applying, the Applicant takes a printout of the receipt of the application for future reference.

Tea Board India - RCMC Print Receipt

The Tea Board will issue the Registration Cum Membership Certificate (RCMC) within two working days from the date of receipt of the application.

DGFT Registration cum Membership Certificate (RCMC)

Earlier, an exporter desiring to obtain an RCMC had to file an application in Form ANF 2C with the Tea Board and declare his mainstream business in the application. The procedure was outlined above for reference. The Director-General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has issued a Trade Notice No.35/2021-2022 for Mandatory Electronic filing of Registration Cum Membership Certificate (RCMC) or Registration Certificate (RC) through DGFT Common Digital Platform with effect from 01.04.2022. With this Trade Notice, DGFT informed that a new Common Digital Platform (DGFT e-RCMC module) for Issuance of RCMC had been developed, which would be single-point access for all exporters & importers. This Common Digital Platform is designed to provide an electronic, contactless single window for the RCMC/RC-related processes, including Applications for Fresh/ Amendment/ Renewal of RCMC/ RC. The Common Digital Platform for Electronic filing of RCMC shall be available at https://dgft.gov.in. Click here to learn more about the DGFT Registration cum Membership Certificate (RCMC) – Online Procedure.