In the Sugar Season 2003-04 there was a steep decline in sugar production due to drought in some of the major producting areas, and the industry resorted to import of raw sugar for reprocessing into white sugar to augment domestic supplies. As an organization of the industry ISEC offered its services as a facilitator to the sugar mills for impoting raw sugar under advance licence scheme. Since the last quarter of 2004, ISEC has contracted for import of about 0.33 million tonnes of raw sugar out of total import contracts of about 2.14 million tonnes during this period.

ISEC's services include :

• Concluding purchase orders with international sellers at the best possible price and terms on behalf of the sugar factories.
  
  
• Assisting the factories in obtaining import/export code from Directorate General of Foreign Trade, Registrations-cum Membership Certificate (RCMC) from Federation of Indian Export Organisations and Registration-cum Allocation Certificate (RCAC) from Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority.
  
  
• Arranging discharge of sugar at the ports, its storage and movement to the factories, appointment of stevedores, C&F Agents and surveyors and attending to Customs formalities etc.

ISEC does not collect any service charges from the factories. On the other hand, it is bearing part of the expenses like LC opening charges and the cost of bags for packing raw sugar imported in bulk.

ISEC has also taken initiative in bringing about more flexibility in the Exim Policy regarding import of raw sugar under advance licence scheme.