India issued Customs Instruction No. 16/2026 on September 18, 2026, adding ICD Dhanakya in Jaipur as an authorised food import entry point and bringing the total notified Points of Entry to 172.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the country’s food safety regulator, has added ICD Dhanakya in Rajasthan to its list of places where imported food may enter India, in an updated list dated 15 September 20261.
ICD Dhanakya is an inland container depot, a dry port away from the coast where containers are cleared by customs. It now appears as entry number 172 on the list, under the port code INDNK61.
In short, food shipments can now be cleared for import at ICD Dhanakya. Before this change, food sent there could not be cleared, because the depot was not an approved entry point for food.
What is a food point of entry in India?
Under Indian law, all imported food must follow the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. The FSS (Import) Regulations, 2017 set out how food imports are checked and cleared2.
FSSAI names an "authorised officer" for each entry point. This is the official who decides whether a food shipment may enter. The new list is issued under Section 25 and Section 47(5) of the Act and Regulation 13(1) of the import regulations1.
Food can only be cleared at a place on this list. The list now has 172 points of entry for food, including airports, seaports, inland container depots, special economic zones and land border crossings1.
Who checks food at ICD Dhanakya?
At ICD Dhanakya, customs officers will do the food checks. The list names the authorised officer there as a customs "Superintendent/Appraiser/Inspector/Examiner", not an FSSAI officer1.
Who checks food at entry points, per FSSAI’s imports page
This follows a pattern across the list. At some entry points, FSSAI has its own authorised officers. At others, FSSAI has named customs officials as its authorised officers2.
FSSAI’s imports page says it has its own officers at 62 entry points. It says customs officials act for FSSAI at another 99 points2. Those two figures add up to 161, so the page does not yet reflect the newer list of 172.
Which other Rajasthan depots take food imports?
ICD Dhanakya joins four other Rajasthan sites already on the list. All of them use customs officers as authorised officers1:
- ICD Thar Dry Port, Jodhpur (INTHA6)
- ICD Jodhpur (INBGK6)
- ICD Kathuwas, Alwar (INCML6)
- ICD Kankapura, Jaipur (INKKU6)
With Dhanakya, Rajasthan now has five inland depots where food can be cleared1. For shippers of food to the state, this adds one more inland option.
How is a food shipment cleared at Dhanakya?
The steps are the same at every entry point. FSSAI runs an online system called the Food Import Clearance System (FICS)2. It is linked to ICEGATE, the online customs gateway, through India’s single window for trade.
Clearing a food shipment at Dhanakya
FSSAI picks shipments for sampling and testing based on risk. This selection is built into ICEGATE, so not every shipment is tested2.
When customs sends a food shipment to the authorised officer, the officer checks the papers and looks at the goods. The officer may also take samples for testing2.
What happens if a food shipment fails?
If the sample meets Indian standards, the officer issues a No Objection Certificate (NOC). This lets the food enter India2.
Papers after testing
If the sample fails, the officer issues a Non-Conforming Report (NCR). The food cannot then be cleared2.
An importer can ask for a review of a Non-Conforming Report. The request goes on Form-6 to FSSAI’s Director (Imports)2. If the importer does not accept that decision, a second review can be filed on Form-6 to FSSAI’s chief executive2.
When can food enter through ICD Dhanakya?
FSSAI’s list says the authorised officers are named for food import clearance "till further orders"1. It gives no end date.
For a food container bound for Dhanakya, this means clearance can happen at the depot itself. The customs authorised officer there will check the papers, inspect the goods and, where FSSAI’s risk system picks the shipment, send samples for testing.
Sources
- ↩ Notification of 172th PoE (ICD DHANAKYA) 15-09-2026.pdf https://www.fssai.gov.in/docs/food-law/advisory/Notification%20of%20172th%20PoE%20(ICD%20DHANAKYA)%2015-09-2026.pdf?csrt=14314662882836752229
- ↩ Imports – FSSAI – Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. https://fssai.gov.in/business/import