🌶️ Trade Guide

Exporting Indian spices: a buyer's guide to grades & certifications

Understanding ASTA values, FSSAI compliance and what to look for when sourcing spices from India.

Most first orders of Indian chilli, turmeric or pepper are decided by three numbers: ASTA colour value, moisture, and the aflatoxin or pesticide limit the destination country will accept. ASTA colour is a measure of pigment, not heat. A Guntur S4 chilli at ASTA 80–120 is a different product from a Byadgi lot bought for colour in sauces.

Ask for the grade on the contract, not only the common name. Moisture above about 10–12 percent shortens shelf life in a container. Pungency in SHU matters for chilli that will be ground; it matters less for whole dried pods sold on appearance.

FSSAI registration covers the Indian food business. APEDA registration is what the shipment paperwork usually needs for agricultural exports, together with a phytosanitary certificate from the plant quarantine authority. ISO 22000 or a pack-house audit is extra assurance, not a substitute for those two.

On the Yugam catalog, the card badges are the short list. The product page carries the full set and the HS code. Send the destination port and the spec you must hit with the quotation request, and the quote comes back against that spec rather than a generic grade.