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Processed food

Export raisins

Green and golden raisins from Sangli, Nashik and Vijayapura for Sri Lanka, South-East Asia and the Gulf.

Free to exportHS 0806.20
HS code
0806.20
Dried grapes (0806 20): raisins (0806 20 10) and other (0806 20 90).
Export policy
Free to export
Export is Free under ITC(HS); we found no recent restriction. Confirm current status on dgft.gov.in.
Registrations
5
IEC, GST and those below
India’s exports, 2025-26
US$ 29.5 mn
to 61 countries

What is exported

Raisin exports were about US$ 30 million in 2025-26 (TradeStat), led by Morocco, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia. India’s raisins are made mostly from Thompson Seedless grapes, the variety on about four-fifths of grape area (APEDA). Turkey, Iran and the USA dominate world raisin trade, so Indian exporters win on price and on the green raisin style.

Varieties, grades and forms

  • Green (shade-dried) raisinsThe typical Indian style, dipped and dried in shade.
  • Golden (sulphured) raisinsTreated with sulphur dioxide for colour; must be declared where required.
  • Black raisinsSun-dried, from seedless and coloured grapes.

Where it is grown or made

  • MaharashtraSangli (Tasgaon), Nashik, Solapur — Maharashtra grows about 69% of India’s grapes (APEDA).
  • KarnatakaVijayapura, Bagalkot, Belagavi — the second-largest grape state.

Season

Raisins are made from about February to May after the grape harvest and held in cold storage; new-crop offers start around April.

Export packing

  • Food-grade poly-lined cartons of 10–15 kg; retail pouches for brands.
  • Ship in reefers or cool dry containers to protect colour.

Who buys abroad

  • Dry-fruit importers and packers
  • Bakery and cereal makers
  • Indian and South Asian grocery importers and distributors

The quality buyers ask for

Grade
By colour, size and uniformity (trade grades set by buyers)
Moisture and defects
Moisture, stems, caps, damaged berries and foreign matter maxima in contract
Sulphur dioxide
Within destination limits; declared above 10 mg/kg in the EU
Contaminants
Ochratoxin A and pesticide residues within destination limits

Certificates

  • APEDA RCMCRequiredRegistration with APEDA, issued as an RCMC on the DGFT portal; not needed for consignments up to ₹3 lakh FOB since 15 Sep 2026.
  • FSSAI licenceRequiredCentral licence from FSSAI for the premises where food is packed or stored for export.
  • Phytosanitary certificateRequiredIssued by Plant Quarantine (DPPQS) for each consignment after inspection; apply on PQMS.
  • HACCPOften askedFood-safety plan for the processing unit; most importers ask for it.
  • BRCGS Food SafetyOften askedGFSI standard asked for by UK and many EU retailers for private-label packing.
  • HalalOften askedAsked for by many Gulf, Malaysian and Indonesian buyers of processed foods; use a body the destination recognises.

Shipping, storage and shelf life

Container load

A 20-ft container typically carries about 18–20 tonnes in cartons.

How it travels

Sea from JNPA or Mundra; reefers preferred in hot months.

Storage

Cold storage typically about 2–5 °C to hold colour.

Shelf life

Typically about 12 months in cold storage.

What goes on the pack and carton

  • EU retail packs (Regulation 1169/2011): food name, ingredients with allergens highlighted, net quantity, best-before date, storage conditions, EU importer’s name and address, and origin where required — in the language of the country of sale.
  • USA (21 CFR 101): product name, net quantity in US and metric units, ingredients, allergens, packer or distributor name and address, Nutrition Facts unless exempt, and "Product of India".
  • Gulf countries: Arabic text (Arabic plus English is normal), production and expiry dates, net weight, country of origin and importer details. Confirm current rules with your importer.
  • Lot or batch number on every pack and bag — required by FSSAI’s Labelling and Display Regulations, 2020, and used by every importing country to trace and recall.
Where to get it tested

Use a laboratory on APEDA’s list of recognised laboratories (apeda.gov.in → Recognised Organisations), an FSSAI-notified lab, or a lab accredited by NABL for the test (nabl-india.org). Ask the buyer which reports they accept before sending samples.

Benefits of exporting this product

Where to register

  • APEDARegistration-cum-Membership Certificate (RCMC) for APEDA-scheduled products. Apply on the DGFT portal after you have your IEC.dgft.gov.in ↗
  • FSSAIFood business licence. FSSAI puts food exporters under the Central licence; apply on FoSCoS for the premises you pack from.foscos.fssai.gov.in ↗
  • Plant Quarantine (DPPQS)Phytosanitary certificate for each consignment of plant produce, applied for online on PQMS. Some markets also want the packhouse or processing unit registered.pqms.cgg.gov.in ↗

Quality and checks

  • Pesticide residues must meet the destination country’s MRLs; check them in APEDA’s International Pesticide MRL Database before you buy the crop.
  • Sulphur dioxide in golden raisins must be within the buyer country’s limit and declared on the label where required (the EU lists sulphites above 10 mg/kg as an allergen).
  • Ochratoxin A, moisture, stems, caps and foreign matter; size and colour uniformity by grade.
  • Test each lot at an NABL-accredited or board laboratory before shipment and keep the report with the lot number.
How to start small

Buy cleaned, graded raisins from a cold store in Tasgaon (Sangli) or Vijayapura, test residues and sulphite, and send a 20-ft container in 10–15 kg cartons to a dry-fruit importer in Sri Lanka or Malaysia. Since 15 September 2026, a consignment worth up to ₹3 lakh FOB does not need an RCMC (DGFT Notification 36/2026-27); registrations required by a law still apply.

Where new exporters go wrong

  • Taking raisins out of cold storage long before loading — they darken and sugar crystallises.
  • Undeclared sulphites in golden raisins for the EU or USA — recalls follow.

Documents this product needs

Schemes that apply

Sources (5)
  1. Department of Commerce — TradeStat, India’s exports by commodity and country (2025-26)
  2. APEDA — Grapes product profile (varieties and growing states)
  3. APEDA — International Pesticide MRL Database
  4. EU — Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on food information to consumers
  5. DGFT Notification 36/2026-27 (15 Sep 2026) — no RCMC needed for consignments up to ₹3 lakh FOB

Trade data

Indian raisins exports in numbers

From the Department of Commerce’s TradeStat, country by country. US$, Indian financial years (April–March).

Exports in 2025-26
US$ 29.5 mn
-0.1% a year on average, 2020-21 to 2025-26
Change from 2024-25
↓ -60.3%
US$ 74.3 mn → US$ 29.5 mn
Buyer countries
61
Average export price
US$ 1.97
per kg · 14,995 tonnes shipped · US$ 1.52 the year before
Morocco: US$ 4.6 mnSri Lanka: US$ 4.5 mnVietnam: US$ 3 mnIndonesia: US$ 2 mnMalaysia: US$ 1.9 mnSaudi Arabia: US$ 1.8 mnUkraine: US$ 1.4 mnPoland: US$ 1.3 mnPhilippines: US$ 910kRomania: US$ 710kBangladesh: US$ 670kNepal: US$ 470kMauritius: US$ 450kSingapore: US$ 420kAustralia: US$ 400kRussia: US$ 360kGermany: US$ 270kNigeria: US$ 260kSpain: US$ 260kUnited Kingdom: US$ 240kIraq: US$ 190kThailand: US$ 180kMorocco: US$ 4.6 mnMoroccoSri Lanka: US$ 4.5 mnSri LankaVietnam: US$ 3 mnVietnamIndonesia: US$ 2 mnIndonesiaMalaysia: US$ 1.9 mnSaudi Arabia: US$ 1.8 mnSaudi ArabiaUkraine: US$ 1.4 mnUkrainePoland: US$ 1.3 mnPhilippines: US$ 910kRomania: US$ 710kBangladesh: US$ 670kNepal: US$ 470kMauritius: US$ 450kSingapore: US$ 420kAustralia: US$ 400kRussia: US$ 360kGermany: US$ 270kNigeria: US$ 260kSpain: US$ 260kUnited Kingdom: US$ 240kIraq: US$ 190kThailand: US$ 180kIndia
Where Indian raisins goes — among our 80 countries, 2025-26
2020-21: US$ 29.6 mn302020-212021-22: US$ 25.4 mn252021-222022-23: US$ 35.1 mn352022-232023-24: US$ 64.5 mn652023-242024-25: US$ 74.3 mn742024-252025-26: US$ 29.5 mn302025-26
India’s raisins exports, year by year · US$ million

The price cycle

India’s average export price per kg each year (total value ÷ total quantity). Highest in 2025-26, lowest in 2020-21 — a 65% swing between them. Keep this swing in mind when you quote.

2020-21: US$ 1.20 per kg1.202021-22: US$ 1.24 per kg2022-23: US$ 1.22 per kg2024-25: US$ 1.52 per kg2025-26: US$ 1.97 per kg1.972020-212021-222022-232023-242024-252025-26
Average export price of Indian raisins · US$ per kg · dotted = year in between not available

What next: a projection from the trend

The past trend carried forward — not a forecast by any authority. Sudden changes in policy, prices or demand are not in it.

2020-21: US$ 29.6 mn2020-212021-22: US$ 25.4 mn2021-222022-23: US$ 35.1 mn2022-232023-24: US$ 64.5 mn2023-242024-25: US$ 74.3 mn2024-252025-26: US$ 29.5 mn2025-262026-27: US$ 57.7 mn (US$ 31.2 mn – US$ 107 mn)582026-272027-28: US$ 64.3 mn (US$ 32.4 mn – US$ 128 mn)642027-28
India’s raisins exports and projection · hollow bars = projection, line = likely range
By 2027-28: US$ 64.3 mn

Likely range US$ 32.4 mn to US$ 128 mn.

Trend
+11.5% a year
Fit (R²)
0.2 — weak, read with care
Based on
6 years of official figures

Method: a straight line through the logarithm of yearly exports (log-linear regression); range = ±1 standard error.

Biggest buyer countries

By value in 2025-26. Change is against 2024-25.

Name2025-26Change
1MoroccoUS$ 4.6 mn-69.3%
2Sri LankaUS$ 4.5 mn+30.9%
3VietnamUS$ 3 mn-25.7%
4IndonesiaUS$ 2 mn-42.8%
5MalaysiaUS$ 1.9 mn-31.6%
6Saudi ArabiaUS$ 1.8 mn-74.5%
7UkraineUS$ 1.4 mn+18.5%
8PolandUS$ 1.3 mn-27%
9PhilippinesUS$ 910k-33.6%
10RomaniaUS$ 710k-76.6%
11BangladeshUS$ 670k-86.4%
12TrinidadUS$ 480k-20%

Where demand is rising and falling

Only countries that buy at least US$ 1 million or 1% of India’s exports of this product. Change from 2024-25 to 2025-26.

High demand

  1. Sri LankaUS$ 3.4 mn → US$ 4.5 mn+30.9%
  2. UkraineUS$ 1.2 mn → US$ 1.4 mn+18.5%

Low demand

  1. IraqUS$ 2.7 mn → US$ 190k-93%
  2. United Arab EmiratesUS$ 1.5 mn → US$ 160k-89.1%
  3. RussiaUS$ 2.9 mn → US$ 360k-87.5%
  4. BangladeshUS$ 4.9 mn → US$ 670k-86.4%
  5. ThailandUS$ 1.1 mn → US$ 180k-83%
  6. NigeriaUS$ 1.4 mn → US$ 260k-81.7%
  7. RomaniaUS$ 3 mn → US$ 710k-76.6%
  8. NepalUS$ 1.9 mn → US$ 470k-75%

Which forms sell, and at what price

India’s exports by 8-digit tariff line, 2025-26. Average price = total value ÷ total quantity (TradeStat): the average of every shipment on that line, not the price of any one deal.

Tariff lineValue 2025-26ChangeQuantityAverage price
Fruit, edible, grapes, dried — raisins0806 20 10US$ 27.9 mn-61.4%13,718 tonnesUS$ 2.03 per kgwas US$ 1.54
Sultanas and other dried grapes0806 20 90 · Fruit, edible, grapes, driedUS$ 1.7 mn-24%1,278 tonnesUS$ 1.31 per kgwas US$ 0.95

The world market

Each country’s own recorded exports and imports in UN Comtrade, 2023 (the latest year nearly every country has reported).

World imports
US$ 1.54 bn
2023
India among exporters
#8
of 100 countries
India’s share of world exports
3.3%
US$ 54.1 mn
Left for others to win
US$ 1.58 bn
exported by other countries

Top exporters — your competitors

  1. 1TürkiyeUS$ 508 mn 31%
  2. 2IranUS$ 223 mn 13.6%
  3. 3USAUS$ 175 mn 10.7%
  4. 4ChileUS$ 143 mn 8.7%
  5. 5South AfricaUS$ 116 mn 7.1%
  6. 6UzbekistanUS$ 77.5 mn 4.7%
  7. 7ChinaUS$ 69.2 mn 4.2%
  8. 8IndiaUS$ 54.1 mn 3.3%
  9. 9United Arab EmiratesUS$ 47.6 mn 2.9%
  10. 10ArgentinaUS$ 43 mn 2.6%

Biggest buyers in the world

  1. 1United KingdomUS$ 151 mn 9.8%
  2. 2GermanyUS$ 140 mn 9.1%
  3. 3NetherlandsUS$ 108 mn 7%
  4. 4IndiaUS$ 85.1 mn 5.5%
  5. 5JapanUS$ 80.3 mn 5.2%
  6. 6CanadaUS$ 61.1 mn 4%
  7. 7BrazilUS$ 56.3 mn 3.6%
  8. 8FranceUS$ 55.7 mn 3.6%
  9. 9USAUS$ 51.8 mn 3.4%
  10. 10TürkiyeUS$ 49.5 mn 3.2%

Opportunity: what these countries buy from the world, and from India

Each country’s own recorded imports in UN Comtrade, latest year it has reported. The long light part of each bar is demand other countries are filling today.

GermanyUS$ 182 mnIndia 0.2% · gap US$ 181 mn
United KingdomUS$ 151 mnIndia 0.1% · gap US$ 151 mn
NetherlandsUS$ 145 mnIndia 0% · gap US$ 145 mn
JapanUS$ 92.3 mnIndia 0% · gap US$ 92.3 mn
FranceUS$ 77.3 mnIndia 0.3% · gap US$ 77.1 mn
CanadaUS$ 69.3 mnIndia 0.2% · gap US$ 69.2 mn
United States of AmericaUS$ 68.6 mnIndia 0.1% · gap US$ 68.6 mn
ItalyUS$ 66.8 mnIndia 0.4% · gap US$ 66.5 mn
United Arab EmiratesUS$ 47.6 mnIndia 3.6% · gap US$ 45.9 mn
AustraliaUS$ 34.9 mnIndia 0.6% · gap US$ 34.7 mn

TradeStat’s 2023-24 quantities are double-counted, so that year is left out of the price. Sources: TradeStat — Export Import Data Bank, Department of Commerce · UN Comtrade database (United Nations Statistics Division) · Figures taken 29 October 2026.

Step by step

How to export raisins

Turkey, Iran, the USA and Uzbekistan lead the world raisin trade; India is a smaller exporter whose green, shade-dried raisins are a distinct style. Most Indian raisins are eaten at home, and India also imports raisins. Exports go to Sri Lanka, South-East Asia, the Gulf and North Africa. Openings: residue-tested, well-graded raisins in retail packs and golden raisins with correct sulphite labelling.

  1. 01Register

    Get your IEC, APEDA RCMC and FSSAI licence.

  2. 02Buy from cold store

    Buy graded raisins at Tasgaon, Sangli or Vijayapura cold stores; inspect colour and moisture.

  3. 03Clean, grade and test

    Machine-clean, remove stems and caps, and test residues, sulphite and ochratoxin.

  4. 04Pack and label

    Pack in lined cartons or retail pouches labelled for the market.

  5. 05Inspection and phytosanitary certificate

    Apply on PQMS; Plant Quarantine inspects the lot (and fumigation or treatment if the importing country requires it) before issuing the certificate.

  6. 06File the shipping bill and ship

    Your customs broker files the shipping bill on ICEGATE with the invoice and packing list. After customs clearance the line issues the bill of lading; get the certificate of origin from the right agency if the buyer needs a trade-agreement rate.

  7. 07Get paid and close the file

    Send original documents through your bank (or to the buyer if paid in advance). When the money arrives, get the e-BRC and claim RoDTEP and drawback where they apply.

Meet buyers

Trade fairs

Questions

Questions about exporting raisins

Where are Indian raisins made?
Mainly in Sangli and Nashik (Maharashtra) and Vijayapura (Karnataka), from Thompson Seedless grapes.
Do golden raisins need special labelling?
Yes — sulphites above 10 mg/kg must be declared as an allergen in the EU, and similar rules apply in the USA.
Who buys Indian raisins?
Morocco, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia led in 2025-26 (TradeStat).
What RoDTEP do raisins get?
2.4% of FOB, capped at ₹4.3 per kg (Appendix 4R).
Do I need an RCMC for a small trial shipment?
Not for a consignment up to ₹3 lakh FOB since 15 Sep 2026 (DGFT Notification 36/2026-27). Registrations that a law requires, such as the Spices Board CRES or Tobacco Board registration, still apply.
Sources (5)
  1. APEDA — Grapes product profile (varieties and growing states)
  2. Department of Commerce — TradeStat, India’s exports by commodity and country (2025-26)
  3. DGFT — Appendix 4R, RoDTEP schedule for DTA exports w.e.f. 10 Oct 2024 (Notification No. 32, 30 Sep 2024)
  4. EU — Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on food information to consumers
  5. APEDA — International Pesticide MRL Database

Who buys Indian raisins

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