India to produce 5 billion Covid vaccine doses next year: Piyush Goyal

India plans to ramp up its Covid vaccine manufacturing capacity and expects to produce 5 billion doses of vaccines in the coming year, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said on Monday. Addressing an event of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), Goyal said India was ready to export as many doses as partner nations require. 

“So far this year, we have already administered 1.33 billion doses. We are manufacturing for exports as well. We will export as many doses as other nations need.” “Next year, we plan to produce 5 billion doses,” Goyal said.

India-UAE CEPA

India and the UAE will wrap up the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agre­e­ment by next month, Goyal said while addressing the India Global Forum, UAE-2021 through video conference on Monday. 

“Hopefully, by the end of this month or next month, we hope to conclude them so that this would probably be one of the fastest trade agreements between two countries ever made.”