Import Red Chilli from India to China

Under the registration regime administered by the General Administration of Customs of China, an imported food consignment generally requires exporter registration, registration of the manufacturing facility, and the product being recorded on the approved list. Plant spices fall expressly within the categories requiring facility registration. Registration attaches to a specific facility and can be granted, renewed or revoked, so it must be verified rather than assumed. Ask us for the current position of the facility that would supply your order, and confirm it independently through your own Chinese customs broker.

Yes. The decree that governed overseas food manufacturer registration from 2022 has been replaced by a new framework. Implementation guidance was published in March 2026 and enforcement began on 1 June 2026. The new framework introduces risk based registration, revised renewal procedures, changed customs declaration requirements and an expanded scope of facilities within the rules. Guidance published before that date describes a regime that no longer applies, which is worth checking if you are working from a supplier document or an older compliance summary.

It depends on whether you are buying heat or colour. Teja, also traded as S17, runs 75,000 to more than 100,000 Scoville and is the usual choice where heat is the objective. Byadgi runs 130 to more than 180 ASTA at only 8,000 to 15,000 Scoville and is the choice for colour and for oleoresin extraction. S11, also called Sannam, sits between them at 35,000 to 50,000 Scoville with 100 to 130 ASTA and is India's most exported variety where one lot has to serve both requirements. Ask for samples across all three and test them against your current specification.

China is itself a major producer and processor of dried chilli and paprika type products. Indian chilli is bought for profiles that are harder to source domestically at volume: the extreme pungency of Teja for heat driven applications, and the high colour with low heat combination of Byadgi for extraction and natural colouring. Buying a concentrate rather than a filler changes the inclusion rate, so the comparison is on cost per unit of heat or colour rather than cost per tonne.

ASTA is a measure of extractable colour, and Scoville Heat Units measure pungency. They vary independently, which is why Kashmiri can be very mild at 1,000 to 2,000 Scoville while still carrying 90 to 120 ASTA colour, and why Teja can be extremely hot at more than 100,000 Scoville while carrying only 50 to 80 ASTA. Specify both numbers on the order rather than one, because a lot that meets your heat target can still fail your colour target.

Aflatoxin develops in dried chilli where drying or storage conditions are poor, and it is routinely tested at import. Every consignment is tested at a NABL accredited laboratory before dispatch, with total aflatoxin below 10 ppb and aflatoxin B1 below 5 ppb as standard export parameters, and the results recorded on the Certificate of Analysis. Where the Chinese standard applicable to your product sets a different limit, send it to us and we will test and certify against it. Third party pre shipment inspection can also be arranged.

Bulk formats are 25 kg PP woven bags with liner, 50 kg food grade jute bags, PP laminated bags as a moisture barrier, and cardboard cartons for powder and flakes. A 20 foot container loads around 25 MT. Retail formats run from 50 g sachets to 1 kg stand up pouches, vacuum sealed or resealable, plus tin containers. Note that Chinese marking requirements extend to the inner package, so packing format should be raised at the quotation stage rather than after sample approval.

The harvest runs December to April, with Guntur in Andhra Pradesh operating as the largest spot market. Fresh crop availability, variety choice and grade consistency are best in and shortly after that window. Buyers contracting outside it are drawing on cold storage holdings, which is normal practice but narrows the range of grades available at any given moment.

Yes. Powder is available in fine, medium and coarse mesh across various ASTA grades, supplied standalone or blended to a written specification. Because ASTA and Scoville vary independently by variety and by harvest, a target specification is usually met by blending varieties rather than by selecting one. Send the target values and the tolerance you can accept, and we will confirm what is achievable before you commit.

State the mesh size and, critically, the seed content. Seeds carry heat and change appearance, so a flake with seeds and a flake without seeds are materially different products even from the same variety and the same lot. Seed content is the single most common source of a specification dispute after delivery, and it takes one line on the order to prevent.

Payment terms are confirmed on the proforma invoice against your written specification, before any payment is discussed. Samples are dispatched with a Certificate of Analysis so that the specification is approved in writing before an order is confirmed.