What do you need to import palm leaf plates into Israel?

Is there a free trade agreement between India and Israel?

Not yet. The two governments signed terms of reference for a free trade agreement in November 2025 and finished the second negotiating round in New Delhi in July 2026. The agreement is still described as proposed. Until it is signed and in force, goods of Indian origin get no preferential rate in Israel.

Some guides say an Indian preference already exists. It does not. Budget on the general rate, and treat any future agreement as a bonus.

What duty and VAT does an Israeli importer pay?

Duty depends on the tariff line your customs agent declares, so settle the code before the goods sail. Indian export documents use heading 4602 (articles of plaiting materials). UK customs, looking at the same product in 2023, ruled compressed areca leaf plates into 4419 90 (tableware of wood). Israel’s tariff follows the international HS headings, but the duty on each line is Israel’s own, so ask your agent to check both lines in the Israel Tax Authority’s customs tariff.

Our HSN code 4602 guide sets out how the product is declared when it leaves India.

Which food-contact rules apply to palm leaf plates in Israel?

The standard most Israeli importers of disposables deal with is SI 5113. The Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce describes it as covering “a very wide range of plastic products” in contact with food, with testing against either European or US requirements. An areca leaf plate is one pressed leaf, with no glue, no coating and no chemicals added, so it is not a plastic product. I would still get your customs agent to confirm in writing that 5113 does not apply to the line you declare.

Israel’s import reform, which began on 1 January 2025, also opened an optional route for goods that meet EU rules, with food-contact directives phased in from early 2025. For palm leaf, the practical evidence is the same as in Europe: a food-contact test report and a clear statement of what the plate is made of. Ours are tested to LFGB standards and confirmed compliant, and the plates are EN 13432 tested and passed.

Do palm leaf plates need a kosher certificate in Israel?

That is for your kashrut supervisor, not for us, and I would not let any supplier tell you otherwise. Ecodyne holds no kosher certificate. What we can do is set out in writing how the plates are made: fallen sheaths collected, washed and heat-pressed, with no glue, no coating and no chemicals.

One kashrut question raised about disposable plates is what they are coated with. The Chicago Rabbinical Council (cRc) writes that the coatings found on paper and plastic plates generally raise no kashrut concern, with Quilon-coated baking paper as its stated exception. An uncoated leaf plate has nothing on its surface at all. Caterers under a local rabbinate or a Badatz each answer to their own supervisor, so take our process description to that supervisor before you place the order.

Which documents should an Israeli buyer ask for?

Ask for these before you pay a deposit:

• Commercial invoice, packing list with net and gross weights, and the bill of lading.
• A certificate of origin, even without a preference, because your agent may need it.
• The food-contact test report and the EN 13432 test result.
• ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certificates (ours are issued by TÜV India) and the amfori BSCI audit report.
• A written description of the manufacturing process for your kashrut supervisor.

We send certificates and test reports on request from sales@ecodynetableware.com. If a supplier takes a week to find a test report, I would take that as an answer.

How quickly can a container reach Haifa or Ashdod?

We load within 10 days of order confirmation and deposit, FOB New Mangalore Port, and we pay 1% per day if we are late. Sailing time to Haifa or Ashdod depends on the line and its transhipment port, so get the current schedule from your forwarder and plan event stock around it.

The minimum order is one 20ft container for the Ecodyne Tableware brand, or one 40ft high cube for white label. Sizes can be mixed, with at least 200 cartons per product category, and the container calculator shows how a mix fills the box. For your customers in Hebrew, see our areca and palm leaf plates wholesale page.