|
|
|
You can get e-magazine links on WhatsApp. Click here
|
|
|
|
|
|
FSSAI-CBIC integration under swift 2.0 set to transform food import clearance
|
|
Tuesday, 18 November, 2025, 15 : 00 PM [IST]
|
|
Our Bureau, New Delhi
|
In a major step toward digitising and accelerating India’s food import systems, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has fully integrated its Food Import Clearance System (FICS) with the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) through the ICEGATE platform under the upgraded SWIFT 2.0 initiative. The system has now gone live on a pilot basis across four key inland container depots.
The move marks a significant enhancement over the earlier integration under SWIFT 1.0, which had already streamlined initial stages of food import workflows. The new SWIFT 2.0 model aims to bring deeper transparency, improved efficiency, and faster processing times by minimising human intervention and strengthening real-time digital coordination between both agencies.
The pilot rollout covers four major entry points: ICD Dadri (INDER6), ICD Star Track (INSTT6), ICD Albatross (INAPL6), and ICD Patparganj (INPPG6). Importers bringing food consignments through these locations can now obtain the FSSAI’s No Objection Certificate (NOC) directly through the SWIFT Portal on ICEGATE, eliminating the need for parallel submissions across multiple platforms.
According to FSSAI, the integration is expected to reduce dwell time, improve objectivity in assessment, and lower compliance costs, thereby strengthening the government’s broader mission of promoting ‘Ease of Doing Business’ and modernising India’s trade facilitation ecosystem. The fully digital interface also supports the goals of the Digital India initiative by reducing paperwork, enhancing traceability, and ensuring greater accountability throughout the clearance cycle.
The regulator confirmed that after the successful completion of the pilot, SWIFT 2.0 will be gradually expanded to all major food import checkpoints across India, paving the way for a unified, technology-driven system for food imports.
FSSAI reiterated its commitment to building an efficient, transparent, and secure import clearance mechanism, adding that the upgraded integration will not only safeguard food safety standards but also support India’s growing role in global trade.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|