Context

Department of Commerce of the Ministry of Commerce & Industry has notified a scheme for Transport and Marketing Assistance (TMA) for Specified Agriculture Products.

About

Transport and Marketing Assistance for Specified Agriculture Products

• It aims to provide assistance for the international component of freight and marketing of agricultural produce.
• It will mitigate disadvantage of higher cost of transportation of export of specified agriculture products due to trans-shipment
• It also aims to promote brand recognition for Indian agricultural products in the specified overseas markets.
• The scheme will be included in the Foreign Trade Policy (2015-20).

Coverage

• All exporters, duly registered with relevant Export Promotion Council as per Foreign Trade Policy, of eligible agriculture products shall be covered under this scheme.
• The assistance, at notified rates, will be available for export of eligible agriculture products to the permissible countries, as specified from time to time.

Applicability

• The Scheme would be applicable for a period as specified from time to time. Presently the Scheme would be available for exports effected from 1.3.2019 to 31.03.2020

Pattern of Assistance

• Assistance under TMA would be provided in cash through direct bank transfer as part reimbursement of freight paid.
• Free On Board supplies where no freight is paid by Indian exporters are not covered under this scheme.
• The level of assistance would be different for different regions as notified from time to time for export of eligible products.
• The assistance shall be admissible only if payments for the exports are received in Free Foreign Exchange through normal banking channels.
• The scheme shall be admissible for the exports made through Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) ports only.
• The scheme covers freight and marketing assistance for export by air as well as by sea (both normal and reefer cargo).

Competent Authority

• Directorate General of Foreign Trade will lay down procedure for scrutiny of the claims, audit of the payments made, recovery of the ineligible/excess paid assistance, interest on such recoveries.
• The defaulters shall be liable for penal action under the provisions of Foreign Trade (Development & Regulation) Act, 1992, Rules and orders made thereunder.
  
  

  Directorate General of Foreign Trade DGFT is an attached office of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and is headed by Director General of Foreign Trade. Right from its inception till 1991, when liberalization in the economic policies of the Government took place, this organization has been essentially involved in the regulation and promotion of foreign trade through regulation. Keeping in line with liberalization and globalization and the overall objective of increasing of exports, DGFT has since been assigned the role of “facilitator”. The shift was from prohibition and control of imports/exports to promotion and facilitation of exports/imports, keeping in view the interests of the country.                                                  Electronic Data Interchange( EDI )Ports EDI comprises of many types of “messages” which when transmitted between two parties is designed to substitute other forms of data transfer. EDI messaging is also used to send the data to Customs (Manifest, Bill of Entry), Port (Container Stowage planning, Cargo Dues, Load/Discharge list, Container moves), Principals (Load/Discharge list, Container moves, Bookings).