How this site is built
The one thing this site has that its competitors do not is that every figure is sourced, dated and internally consistent. These are the rules that keep it that way.
1. We cite primary sources, and tier them.
Every figure links to its source. Tier 1 is statutory or primary (Spices Board, CBIC, EUR-Lex, FDA, DGFT, the GI Registry); Tier 2 is credible secondary (IBEF, CBI). We never cite scraper sites, and a Tier 2 figure never overrules a Tier 1 one.
2. Absent is not zero.
Where we do not hold a figure, we leave it blank and say so — we do not render an unknown as a zero, and we do not estimate. A page shows only what it can source.
3. Every trade figure is pinned to a period.
Indian fiscal year and calendar year are not comparable, and India-reported and partner-reported figures differ. An unpinned tonnage is a trap, so we never publish one.
4. When sources disagree, we show both.
The USA-vs-China ranking flips by year and metric. We publish the disagreement, dated and sourced, rather than pick one — see the source-conflict register.
5. We are a sourcing desk, not a processor.
YouPals owns no processing. No page claims a facility, a line or a capacity. We consolidate and oversee QC across a vetted network. This is enforced as a build check, not just a promise.
6. We claim no certifications we cannot show.
No IEC, CRES or FSSAI number and no certification appears until it is verifiable against a document. We would rather show less than imply credentials we do not hold.