Current · Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2009-10/188 · issued 23 Oct 2009 · ~2 min read
Quick answerRBI notified a USD 20 million Exim Bank Line of Credit to Eritrea for agricultural and educational projects. AD Category-I banks must ensure 85% Indian content, no agency commission, and proper GR/SDF form declarations.
The rule, in the simplest words
Exim Bank gave a loan of 20 million US dollars to Eritrea for farming and school projects.
At least 85 out of every 100 rupees of the contract must be spent on things made in India.
No money for agents (people who help find buyers) can be paid from this loan; if needed, the exporter must use their own money.
All shipments under this loan must be reported on special forms called GR or SDF.
The last day to open letters of credit (promises to pay) is 48 months after a project finishes, or 72 months from the loan start date for supply contracts.
How it plays out — a real example
An agri & priority-sector lending officer in Indore is helping an exporter who wants to sell school computers to Eritrea under this loan. The officer checks that the contract value is at least 85% Indian-made goods, and reminds the exporter that no agency commission can come from the loan proceeds—only from the exporter's own foreign currency account after full payment is received.
What changed
Exim Bank signed a Line of Credit agreement with Eritrea on August 24, 2009, effective October 1, 2009, for USD 20 million. The credit is split equally between multipurpose agricultural projects and educational projects, each capped at USD 10 million. At least 85% of contract value must be sourced from India, with the remaining 15% allowed from outside India for non-consultancy goods.
What it means for you
Indian exporters can now access this credit facility to supply goods and services for Eritrea's agricultural and educational sectors. Banks must ensure compliance with the 85% Indian content rule and handle remittances for any agency commission only after full contract payment is realized. The last date for opening LCs is 48 months from project completion for project exports, or 72 months from the credit agreement date for supply contracts.
What you must do
Inform exporter customers about the USD 20 million LOC to Eritrea and direct them to Exim Bank for full details.
Verify that at least 85% of contract value is sourced from India for shipments under this LOC.
Ensure GR/SDF forms are correctly declared for all shipments under this credit.
Allow agency commission remittances only after full contract payment is realized and from exporter's own resources or EEFC balances.
Monitor that no agency commission is paid from the LOC proceeds.
Who it affects
AD Category-I banks, Indian exporters to Eritrea, Exim Bank
❓ Common questions
Regulatory timeline
Stated effective dateeffective October 1, 2009
Decoded by BankPulse2026-06-19 08:31 IST
Built from our lineage records — each fact carries its provenance; missing history simply is not shown (never guessed).
What is the total value of the Line of Credit to Eritrea?
The LOC is USD 20 million, split equally between agricultural projects (up to USD 10 million) and educational projects (up to USD 10 million).
What is the Indian content requirement under this LOC?
At least 85% of the contract price must be supplied from India; the remaining 15% (excluding consultancy) can be procured from outside India.
Can agency commission be paid from the LOC proceeds?
No, agency commission is not payable under this LOC. If needed, exporters must use their own resources or EEFC balances, and remittance is allowed only after full contract payment is realized.
📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2009-10/188
A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No.12
October 23, 2009
To
All Category - I Authorised Dealer Banks
Madam / Sir,
Exim Bank's Line of Credit of USD 20 million to the State of Eritrea
Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) has concluded an Agreement dated August 24, 2009 with the State of Eritrea making available to the latter, a Line of Credit (LOC) of USD 20 million (USD twenty million) for financing eligible goods and services, machinery and equipment including consultancy services from India for the purpose of financing multipurpose agricultural projects not exceeding USD 10 million [ the proposed projects include Artificial Insemination Development Project, Poultry Waterer and Feeder, Establishment of Milk Collection Centers, Pressurized Irrigation System (Drip Irrigation System), Solar Pumps Project and Soil Survey and Land Evaluation Equipment] and multipurpose educational projects not exceeding USD 10 million [which include purchase of teaching materials including books, laboratory/educational equipment, chemicals, computers etc. for seven Eritrean Institutions of Higher Education established in 2003-04 viz. Eritrean Institute of Technology (EIT), CSH, CBE, COMSAT, OROTTA, HAC and CASS, in addition to the National Board of Higher Education], in Eritrea. The goods and services 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 and the remaining 15 percent goods and services (other than consultancy services) may be procured by the seller for the purpose of Eligible Contract from outside India.
2. The Credit Agreement under the LOC is effective from October 1, 2009 and date of execution of Agreement is August 24, 2009. 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 case of project exports and 72 months (August 23, 2015) from the execution date of the Credit Agreement in case of supply contracts.
3. Shipments under the LOC will have to be declared on GR / SDF Forms as per instructions issued by 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 of 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 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,
(Salim Gangadharan )
Chief General Manager- in - Charge
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2009-10/188 · issued 23 Oct 2009. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
Example: if you are a Compliance officer at a bank this circular applies to (AD Category-I banks, Indian exporters to Eritrea, Exim Bank), your first concrete step on “Exim Bank's USD 20 mn Line of Credit to Eritrea” is: “Inform exporter customers about the USD 20 million LOC to Eritrea and direct them to Exim Bank for full details.” (RBI issued this 23 Oct 2009).
Circular: RBI/2009-10/188 -- Exim Bank's USD 20 mn Line of Credit to Eritrea
Issued: 23 Oct 2009
Action required: Inform exporter customers about the USD 20 million LOC to Eritrea and direct them to Exim Bank for full details.
Action required: Verify that at least 85% of contract value is sourced from India for shipments under this LOC.
Action required: Ensure GR/SDF forms are correctly declared for all shipments under this credit.
Action required: Allow agency commission remittances only after full contract payment is realized and from exporter's own resources or EEFC balances.
Action required: Monitor that no agency commission is paid from the LOC proceeds.
Owner: ____________ Target date: ____________
Board/committee approval needed? Y / N
Evidence filed in compliance register on: ____________
Built only from this circular’s own published fields — not legal advice; always confirm against the official RBI source.
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BankPulse Compliance Evidence Pack — generated 03 Aug 2026 · status cross-checked against RBI’s official withdrawal register (refreshed weekly). Official RBI source: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=5324&Mode=0 — Plain-English summary by BankPulse (bankpulse.ai), reviewed by our expert reviewer, CA Amit Jain. Independent platform, not affiliated with the Reserve Bank of India; is our own plain-English paraphrase, not RBI’s original wording.
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