Commerce asked for five years and got a quarter
The export refund scheme survived its deadline. Department of Commerce Notification 41/2026-27, dated September 30, extends RoDTEP, the scheme that refunds embedded central, state and local duties on exported goods, until December 31, 2026. The Commerce Ministry had sought a five-year extension. It received three months.
What the notification says
Coverage continues for exports by Domestic Tariff Area units, Advance Authorisation holders, Special Economic Zone units and Export Oriented Units. Those last three categories were brought into broader RoDTEP coverage in 2024 and together accounted for around a quarter of India's exports at the time.
Existing rates and value caps under Appendix 4R and 4RE, as they stood on September 30, continue unchanged, as do all other terms and conditions.
Engineering goods, textiles, apparel and leather exporters can price October to December shipments on the same basis as before.
The pattern behind the three months
This is the third change this year. A 50% cap on benefits arrived on February 23 and was withdrawn a month later. A six-month extension followed on April 1. Now a three-month one.
Exporter bodies have pushed back on the duration rather than the decision, with one trade commentator noting that exporting is not a three-month business and that support without certainty is hard to plan around.
The bigger trade picture
For an engineering exporter, the refund sits inside the quoted margin, so the horizon of the scheme matters as much as its rate. Quotes being written now for January delivery are being priced against a scheme with no confirmed existence in January. December is already crowded: ten aluminium quality control orders take effect on December 1, and this decision returns on December 31. Both belong on the same calendar.