Indian exporters and customs brokers received critical certainty today as the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) officially extended the Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) scheme through December 31, 2026. Crucially, the continuation maintains parity by preserving export rebate eligibility for Domestic Tariff Area (DTA) units alongside Advance Authorisation (AA) holders, Special Economic Zone (SEZ) units, and Export Oriented Units (EOUs). Simultaneously, freight operations across the Mundra port cluster are stabilising following a breakthrough agreement between APSEZ and empty container yard operators that has restored deactivated depot codes and resumed empty gate-in workflows.
Here is what these operational developments mean for your current filings, container turnarounds, and compliance posture.
1. DGFT Extends RoDTEP Scheme Through December 31, 2026 Across All Sectors
The extension of the RoDTEP scheme—reported by A2Z Taxcorp LLP—settles mounting anxiety over duty rebate continuity entering Q4. The scheme offsets un-rebated central, state, and local levies (such as electricity duties, mandi taxes, and VAT on transportation fuels) embedded in exported goods.
Most importantly for manufacturers, the notification explicitly continues coverage for Advance Authorisation holders, EOUs, and SEZ units. Historically, these export-promotion segments faced intermittent inclusion windows and administrative sunset clauses. Their confirmed coverage through the end of 2026 allows export finance teams to price forward contracts without discounting embedded tax burdens.
Action Points for Exporters and CHAs
- Shipping Bill Declarations: Ensure your documentation desks verify the mandatory RoDTEP declaration on every export shipping bill filed under ICEGATE. The checkbox declaration (
RODTEPY) must be explicitly flagged before generating the final checklist; omission cannot be amended retrospectively after the Let Export Order (LEO) is issued. - Scroll Generation Audits: Verify that your electronic ledger accounts on ICEGATE reflect scroll generations within standard turnaround times. For shipments cleared under Advance Authorisation or from SEZs/EOUs, verify that the corresponding notification codes are mapped correctly to avoid automated risk management system (RMS) rejection of the rebate claim.
- Pricing Schedules: Review outbound pricing for long-term supply commitments through mid-2027. Exporters should factor in the notified rebate schedules while monitoring the DGFT RELIEF Component-II provisions, which have also been extended to March 31, 2027, to address persistent logistics challenges across West Asian sea lanes.
- Import Price Vigilance: Note that DGFT has separately maintained regulatory scrutiny on specific domestic production sectors, extending the Minimum Import Price (MIP) on Sulfadiazine API and specified chemical imports until November 30, 2026. Importers filing under Chapter 28 and 29 headings must review CIF values prior to port arrival to avoid border detentions.
2. Mundra Port Resolves Empty Depot Stand-off: Depot Codes Restored
Congestion and container repositioning logjams at Mundra are clearing following a formal breakthrough between Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) and association representatives representing empty container yard operators, as reported by Maritime Gateway.
The dispute had flared over terminal operational protocols and handling tariffs, prompting APSEZ to block several off-dock yard facility codes. The deactivation of these depot codes had triggered acute transport bottlenecks across the Mundra hinterland corridor. Import containers destuffed at nearby Container Freight Stations (CFSs) or factory premises could not be offloaded at mapped yards, leading to trailer shortages, stranded chassis, and accumulating container detention clocks for consignees.
With depot codes now reactivated:
- Truck Turnaround: Empty return gate queues outside Mundra's off-dock cluster have resumed normal processing speeds.
- Detention Exposure: Importers who had empty boxes trapped on trailers over the weekend can now hand over equipment to designated line depots, arresting free-time lapses.
- Export Empty Pickups: Freight forwarders and transport planners booking export boxes can retrieve empty inventory without being diverted to secondary terminals or off-dock facilities in Gandhidham.
This resolution comes at a strategic time as the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways officially designates Kandla, JNPA, Paradip, and Mundra as Mega Ports, accelerating long-term terminal and hinterland evacuation infrastructure upgrades across Gujarat and Maharashtra maritime corridors.
WCL Perspective
Across our operational desks at Mundra, Kandla, and JNPT, our customs clearance teams are actively reconciling shipping bills to ensure the RODTEPY flag is correctly populated for all qualifying manufacturing clients, with specific checks applied for our industrial accounts operating in SEZs and under Advance Authorisation. In Mundra, our transport dispatchers have successfully offloaded the backlog of empty import containers that were held up during the off-dock depot impasse over the last 72 hours, stopping detention charges before line free-time windows lapsed. For our automotive, textile, and chemical clients moving cargo from TKD and the Rajasthan ICDs (Jaipur and Jodhpur), rail out-turns into Mundra are progressing cleanly without equipment gating halts.
For a shipment-specific consultation on managing your RoDTEP ledger balances or auditing off-dock detention waivers in Mundra and Kandla, contact our compliance team at webq@wclogistic.in.