Export Journal
Guides for buyers sourcing from India.
Vidya, knowledge, is one of the three words on the DVG mark. This is where we put it to work: guides on products, buying, documents and quality, written for importers.
All articles
- 01
Indian Products
Makhana grades explained: the Suta scale
The Suta scale grades popped makhana by kernel size. Learn what 4, 5, 6 and 7 Suta mean, how phool differs from lava, and what to put in a specification.
- 02
Indian Products
What is isabgol (psyllium husk)?
Isabgol is the husk of Plantago ovata, traded worldwide as psyllium husk. Learn the forms, the purity grades, where it is grown and how it is used.
- 03
Indian Products
Psyllium husk quality parameters buyers should ask for
Purity, swell volume, moisture, microbial limits, pesticide residues, mesh and heavy metals: the parameters that define psyllium husk quality and why each matters.
- 04
Indian Products
Moringa leaf powder: quality parameters and grades
Mesh, moisture, colour, microbiology, heavy metals and pesticide limits for moringa leaf powder, and how food grade differs from nutraceutical grade.
- 05
Indian Products
Tamarind forms and grades explained
Tamarind is traded in five very different forms. See how each is graded, what Brix and seed percentage mean, and how to avoid quoting the wrong product.
- 06
Indian Products
Arabica vs Robusta: green coffee from India
How Arabica and Robusta differ, why India grows both under shade, what AA, A, PB and AB grades mean, and what Monsooned Malabar is.
- 07
Indian Products
Biomass pellets explained: wood pellets vs agri pellets
What biomass pellets are, how wood and agricultural-residue pellets differ on ash, moisture and calorific value, and which standards buyers use.
- 08
Buying from India
How to source agricultural products from India
A practical sequence for importers: define the specification, check registrations, test samples, start with a trial, agree terms and inspect before shipment.
- 09
Buying from India
What to include in an import enquiry
A checklist for writing an enquiry that gets a useful answer from an Indian exporter: product, specification, quantity, packing, port, Incoterm and documents.
- 10
Buying from India
How export pricing works: from ex-works to CIF
What goes into an Indian export price, how it builds from ex-works to FOB to CIF, and which factors move it. No price lists, just the structure.
- 11
Buying from India
Understanding MOQ in export trade
Why exporters set minimum order quantities, how trial orders and container loads differ, and how to negotiate an MOQ that works for both sides.
- 12
Export Knowledge
FOB, CFR and CIF explained: Incoterms for sea freight
What FOB, CFR, CIF and EXW mean under Incoterms 2020, who pays for what, where risk passes and how to choose between them when buying from India.
- 13
Export Knowledge
Export documents explained
The documents that accompany an export shipment from India, what each one is for, who issues it and which ones depend on the product and destination.
- 14
Export Knowledge
HS codes explained for importers of Indian products
What Harmonized System codes are, why the same product can carry different codes, and how to use the codes for makhana, psyllium, tamarind, coffee and pellets safely.
- 15
Export Knowledge
FCL vs LCL and container loading for agricultural goods
Full container load or less than container load, how container weight and volume limits work, and why light products and dense products load so differently.
- 16
Quality & Sourcing
Moisture, purity and mesh explained
Three numbers that appear in almost every agricultural specification. What moisture, purity and mesh actually measure, and how to specify them clearly.
- 17
Quality & Sourcing
Why third-party testing matters in agricultural export
What independent laboratory testing and pre-shipment inspection give a buyer that a supplier's own report cannot, and how to specify them in a contract.
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