Export spice oils and oleoresins

What is exported

Exports under 3301 90 were about US$ 543 million in 2025-26 (TradeStat); the USA took over a third, followed by the Netherlands, South Korea, China, Germany, France and Indonesia. The Spices Board reports "spice oils and oleoresins" as one of India’s largest spice export items by value. Buyers are flavour houses, meat and snack processors, colour makers and supplement brands.

Varieties, grades and forms

• Paprika and capsicum oleoresinNatural red colour and heat for meat, snacks and sauces.
• Turmeric oleoresin and curcuminFood colour and nutraceutical ingredient.
• Black pepper and ginger oleoresinsFlavour for seasonings, beverages and supplements.
• Seed-spice and other oleoresinsCoriander, cumin, fennel, celery, nutmeg, clove and cardamom.

Where it is grown or made

• KeralaErnakulam and Kochi — the main extraction cluster.
• Andhra Pradesh and TelanganaGuntur region for chilli and paprika extracts.
• Karnataka and Tamil NaduBengaluru, Mysuru and Coimbatore units.

The quality buyers ask for

Active content

Colour value (paprika, capsicum), pungency, curcumin %, piperine %, gingerols — with the test method stated

Residual solvents

Within destination limits (EU extraction-solvent rules; US FDA and buyer specs)

Contaminants

Pesticide residues, heavy metals, Sudan dyes and aflatoxin

Certificates

• Spices Board CRESRequiredCertificate of Registration as Exporter of Spices; required by law before exporting a listed spice.
• FSSAI licenceRequiredCentral licence from FSSAI for the premises where food is packed or stored for export.
• ISO 22000 / FSSC 22000Often askedFood-safety management certification; FSSC 22000 is GFSI-recognised and asked for by large buyers.
• HalalOften askedAsked for by many Gulf, Malaysian and Indonesian buyers of processed foods; use a body the destination recognises.
• KosherOften askedAsked for by some US buyers and ingredient buyers supplying kosher brands.
• Organic (NPOP / NOP / EU)Often askedOnly if sold as organic: NPOP certification from an accredited body plus the market’s own organic rules.
• ISO 9001Often askedQuality-management certification many industrial buyers expect from suppliers.

Shipping, storage and shelf life

What goes on the pack and carton

• Drums and tanks: product name and grade, batch number, net and gross weight, manufacturing date, hazard labels where the safety data sheet requires them, and "Made in India".
• 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.

Benefits of exporting this product

• RoDTEP refund on this line

  Oleoresin lines under 3301 90: turmeric and capsicum 1.4% of FOB, other spice oleoresins n.e.s. 1.3%, ginger 1.2%, pepper 0.8%, and fenugreek, cardamom, celery, nutmeg, clove, coriander, cumin and fennel 0.7%. Rate as listed in Appendix 4R (w.e.f. 10 Oct 2024); DGFT Notification 41/2026-27 keeps the rates in force on 30 Sep 2026 unchanged until 31 Dec 2026. Check your exact 8-digit line on dgft.gov.in before you price.

  DGFT — Appendix 4R, RoDTEP schedule for DTA exports w.e.f. 10 Oct 2024 (Notification No. 32, 30 Sep 2024) ↗
• Duty-free raw material

  Extractors that import raw spice for processing can use Advance Authorisation to import it duty-free against export obligations; check the norms on DGFT.

Where to register

• Spices BoardCertificate of Registration as Exporter of Spices (CRES). Required by law for anyone exporting a spice listed by the Spices Board, and it also serves as your RCMC.indianspices.org.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 ↗

Quality and checks

• Residual extraction solvents (hexane, acetone, ethanol and others) within the buyer country’s limits — the EU sets them in its extraction-solvents directive.
• Active content on every certificate of analysis: colour value for paprika and capsicum, pungency, curcumin %, piperine % or gingerols.
• Pesticide residues and Sudan dyes carry over from the raw spice into the extract in concentrated form — test the raw material too.

Where new exporters go wrong

• Quoting colour or pungency without stating the test method (ASTA, ISO, HPLC) — buyers reject on a different method.
• Solvent residue above the destination limit, especially for EU food use.

Documents this product needs

• Commercial invoice
• Packing list
• Shipping bill
• Bill of lading (BL)
• Air waybill (AWB)
• Certificate of origin (CoO)
• Health certificate

Schemes that apply

• RoDTEP Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products
• Drawback Duty Drawback (All Industry Rates)
• LUT Letter of Undertaking for zero-rated exports under GST
• ECGC ECGC export credit insurance for small exporters
• Districts as Export Hubs Districts as Export Hubs
• Advance Authorisation Advance Authorisation
• EPCG Export Promotion Capital Goods Scheme
• EPM Export Promotion Mission (Niryat Protsahan and Niryat Disha)