A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 46(March 18, 2011)

Exim Bank's Line of Credit of USD 100 million to
the Ecowas Bank for Investment and Development (EBID)

Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) has concluded an Agreement dated November 09, 2010 with the Ecowas Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), making available to the latter, a Line of Credit (LOC) of USD 100 million (USD one hundred million) for financing export of eligible goods, services and equipment including consultancy services to 15 member countries of EBID in the West African region viz. Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. The goods, services, machinery and equipment including consultancy services from India for exports under this Agreement are those which are eligible for export under the Foreign Trade Policy of the Government of India and whose purchase may be agreed to be financed by the Exim Bank under this Agreement. Out of the total credit by Exim Bank under this Agreement, the goods and services including consultancy services of the value of at least 85 per cent of the contract price shall be supplied by the seller from India or be of Indian origin, and the remaining 15 per cent goods and services (other than consultancy services) may be procured by the seller for the purpose of Eligible Contract from outside India either locally within the Borrower's Country of Domicile or from any of the member countries of EBID or from any other third countries.

2.  The Credit Agreement under the LOC is effective from February 23, 2011 and the date of execution of Agreement is November 9, 2010. Under the LOC, the last date for opening of Letters of Credit and Disbursement will be 48 months from the scheduled completion date(s) of contract(s) in the case of project exports and 72 months (November 8, 2016) from the execution date of the Credit Agreement in the case of supply contracts.

3. Shipments under the LOC will have to be declared on GR / SDF Forms as per instructions issued by the Reserve Bank from time to time.

4.  No agency commission is payable under the above LOC. However, if required, the exporter may use his own resources or utilize balances in his Exchange Earners’ Foreign Currency Account for payment of commission in free foreign exchange. Authorised Dealer Category- l (AD Category-l) banks may allow such remittance after realization of full payment of contract value subject to compliance with the prevailing instructions for payment of agency commission.

5. AD Category-I banks may bring the contents of this circular to the notice of their exporter constituents and advise them to obtain full details of the Line of Credit from the Exim Bank’s office at Centre One, Floor 21, World Trade Centre Complex, Cuffe Parade, Mumbai 400 005  or log on to www.eximbankindia.in.

6. The directions contained in this circular have been issued under sections 10(4) and 11(1) of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999 (42 of 1999) and are without prejudice to permissions / approvals, if any, required under any other law.

Yours faithfully,

(Meena Hemchandra)
Chief General Manager-in-Charge