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Free Trade Agreement
The commerce ministry is preparing granular plans to boost the utilisation of free trade agreements (FTAs) by Indian industry, including sending 500 delegations abroad, training 1,000 people, and engaging with 1,600 industry chambers, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday. The commerce and industry minister asked the Indian industry to increase utilisation of these pacts as it will help boost exports and attract investments at a time when the global economy is facing challenges. "We are making very granular plans on how we can leverage all these FTAs and convert the global crisis into a golden opportunity," he said at the CII annual business summit here. Since 2021, India has finalised trade deals with Mauritius, the UAE, Australia, Oman, New Zealand, EFTA bloc, UK and the EU. Goyal said that countries such as Switzerland, the United States and nations in the European Union have much higher per capita incomes and cannot manufacture products at a cost lower than India. The ..
The free trade agreement (FTA) between India and Oman is expected to come into force from June 1, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday. The pact was signed in December 2025. "I have had a good meeting with Oman team today and most probably the Oman free trade agreement will come into effect from June 1, 2026," he told reporters here. The Oman team is here to discuss ways to boost trade and investments. The agreement will provide duty-free access to 98 per cent of India's exports, including textiles, agri, and leather goods in Oman. On the other hand, India will reduce tariffs on Omanese products such as dates, marbles and petrochemical items. When asked about his meeting with the Chilean foreign minister here, Goyal said there are challenges given the different size of the economies and different scale of opportunities that both countries offer to each other. "We are trying to bridge that gap through innovative solutions. "If we get a good deal around crit
India and the UK on Friday discussed ways to boost two-way commerce and investments and leverage opportunities under the comprehensive economic and trade agreement signed in July last year. It was discussed during a virtual meeting between Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade Peter Kyle. "We explored ways to further enhance our trade and investment ties while fully leveraging the opportunities under the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA)," Goyal said in a social media post. India and the UK, on July 24, 2025, signed the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), under which 99 per cent of Indian exports will enter the British market at zero duty, while tariffs on British products, such as cars and whisky, will be reduced in India. CETA aims to double the USD 56 billion trade between the two economies by 2030.
India and New Zealand on Monday will sign a free trade agreement (FTA) to boost two-way commerce in goods and services and promote investments. The pact will come into force on actually decided date agreed by both sides. Here are a few questions and answers to understand the main strategic gain of this deal: FTA: ----- An economic arrangement between two or more countries where they agree either to end or significantly reduce customs duties on the maximum number of goods traded between them, besides cutting down barriers which can hinder or promote two-way commerce and investments. INDIA-NEW ZEALAND FTA BRIEF: ----------------------------------- Negotiations were first launched in 2010, stalled in 2015 after nine rounds, and were revived in March 2025. March 16, 2025: Negotiations resumed afresh December 22, 2025: Announced conclusion of talks April 27, 2026: FTA set to be signed The agreement covers 20 chapters, including trade in goods, rules of origin, services, customs
The government on Friday said the three-day trade talks between Indian and US officials concluded on April 23, with both sides agreeing to stay engaged to sustain the momentum ahead. Both sides discussed several areas, such as market access, non-tariff measures, technical barriers to trade, customs and trade facilitation, investment promotion, economic security alignment and digital trade, the Commerce and Industry Ministry said in a statement. "The meetings were conducted in a constructive and positive spirit, with meaningful and forward-looking discussions enabling progress on key matters. Both sides agreed to remain engaged to maintain this momentum as they move forward," it said. India and the US issued a joint statement on February 7 finalising a framework for an interim trade agreement regarding reciprocal and mutually beneficial trade. The framework reaffirmed the countries' commitment to the broader India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement negotiations. The Indian side has visit
India and New Zealand will sign a free trade agreement (FTA) on April 27 here, an official said on Thursday. The free trade pact aims to provide tariff-free access to the island nation's market for domestic exporters' goods and will bring in USD 20 billion in investment over the next 15 years. The two countries on December 22 last year announced the conclusion of negotiations for the trade deal which aims at doubling bilateral trade to USD 5 billion in the next five years. The official said that the pact will be signed on April 27 in Bharat Mandapam after a meeting of the India-New Zealand Business Forum. While India will get zero-duty market access on 100 per cent of its exports, the agreement will eliminate or reduce tariffs on 95 per cent of New Zealand's exports to India, including items ranging from wool, coal, wood, wine, to avocados and blueberries. However, New Delhi has made no duty concessions on imports of dairy products like milk, cream, whey, yoghurt, and cheese; onio
India and New Zealand are expected to sign a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on April 24 here, which will provide tariff-free access to domestic exporters for their goods in the island nation's market, and will bring in USD 20 billion of investment over the next 15 years, an official said. The two countries on December 22 last year announced the conclusion of negotiations for the trade deal which aims at doubling bilateral trade to USD 5 billion in the next five years. The official said that the pact is likely to be signed on April 24 in Bharat Mandapam. While India will get zero-duty market access on 100 per cent of its exports, the agreement will eliminate or reduce tariffs on 95 per cent of New Zealand's exports to India, including items ranging from wool, coal, wood, wine, to avocados and blueberries. However, New Delhi has made no duty concessions on allowing imports of dairy like milk, cream, whey, yoghurt, and cheese; onions, sugar, spices, edible oils and rubber to protect farme
The free trade agreement (FTA) between India and the UK, signed in July last year, is likely to be implemented by early May, as both sides are "sorting out a few issues", officials said on Thursday. According to officials, the EU has indicated November as the timeline for the ratification of the trade pact with India, and its implementation is expected this year. However, they indicated that trade pact talks with Israel and the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), comprising Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain, have slowed amid the ongoing conflict in the region. On the US-India trade pact, officials said the process of the trade agreement "stands"; however, "any trade agreement is based on preferential market access versus competitors. If we get that, then the trade deal stands". On January 27 this year, India and the EU announced the conclusion of negotiations for the free trade agreement, described as 'mother of all deals', under which 93 per cent of Ind