Which Incoterms should I use for greenhouse and irrigation equipment?
Choose the term by who is genuinely able to manage transport, insurance and customs at each stage — then require every bidder to quote on the same term so the prices are comparable. EXW and FOB leave freight, insurance and clearance with the buyer; CIF stops at the destination port; DAP and DDP push more responsibility to the supplier, with DDP also placing import duties and clearance on them. Multi-container structure shipments and single-crate control panels rarely deserve the same term.
What actually drives the answer
The cheapest headline price is usually the term with the least supplier responsibility. Normalise quotes to one landed-cost basis before comparing.
Customs clearance capability is the practical constraint: in many markets a foreign supplier cannot act as importer of record, which makes DDP impractical regardless of preference.
Insurance must be explicit — who insures, for what value, and whether it covers installation and storage on site.
Demurrage and detention are real costs when site access or clearance is slow; agree in writing who carries them.
State the delivery address precisely, including access limitations for long steel and heavy lifts.
Variables that change the answer
- Buyer's import and logistics capability
- Origin, route and port infrastructure
- Local rules on importer of record
- Cargo type and volume
Evidence a supplier needs before quoting
- Delivery site address and access constraints
- Local import regime and available clearance agent
- Preferred insurance arrangement
What this answer does not settle
- Incoterms allocate cost and risk; they do not replace customs, tax or trade compliance advice for your jurisdiction.
Responsibility
- Professional review:
- Logistics adviser and customs broker
- Delivered by:
- Supplier, freight forwarder and customs broker
- Feeds RFQ section:
- Logistics and delivery terms
Sources
- World Bank Open Data — Agriculture & Rural Development indicatorsWorld Bank · Primary source · accessed 2026-08-21
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