In India, where all efforts are being made to increase exports, it is time for the exporter to gain knowledge about this specialised and convenient method of marking products and adopt it in his daily work. EAN barcode is the most popular way of product identification. The international EAN barcoding standard is unique and open. The information contained in the barcode can be identified by any EAN user in any part of the world.In India, EAN-India has been set up as a society to implement internationally valid barcodes in the country.

It is a joint effort of the ministry of commerce and apex industrial bodies.EAN-India develops number banks based on country codes and allocates company codes to all the member-units.

The EAN-13 code consists of 13 digits. The first three digits represent the country. The country code for India is 890. The next four digits are for the company/exporter code allotted by EAN-India. next five digits are for the products and the last digit is the check digit.

About one lakh products can be numbered this way. As almost all the companies, however big they may be, come within this ambit it is suitable for all businesses. Unique numbers are needed for all the product variants.

Each variant of an item and each size or package should also be uniquely numbered. Different size, style and colour have to be represented by unique numbers.

The growing popularity of barcodes is due to its several advantages. It helps the product's journey from the point of manufacture through storage, distribution and point of sale. It speeds up the distribution process and standardises communication intrade. Transformation of information from package-to-document-to-bill becomes error free. Barcoding can not only help exporters but also manufacturers, retailers and consumers. Processing, receiving and storage of goods will become easier for manufacturers.

Production and quality control as well as inventory management will be smoother through barcodes. Sales information and stock level can also bemonitored.

Barcodes can help retailers to control their inventory and do error-free billing. Consumers can benefit as they get complete product information through barcodes and can buy the right product at the right price.

Finally, barcoding can help exporters by smoothening international transactions and helping to replenish their store stocks The services offered by EAN-India include allotment of company codes and assistance in implementation of barcode systems, testing barcode quality and providing technical expertise and liaison with other EAN member countries for effective information dissemination.