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India Trade Policy
The Board of Trade (BoT), chaired by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, is scheduled to meet on July 3 to leverage benefits from recent trade pacts and to discuss strategies for accelerating the country's exports, an official said. The BoT includes participants from various states, Union territories, and senior officials from the public and private sectors. In the meeting, representatives of export promotion councils, along with other participants, will present their views on the export sector. "The BoT is meeting on July 3 here," the official said. The last meeting of the board was held on November 25, 2025. The meeting is important as India has implemented five free trade agreements (FTAs) since 2021 with Mauritius, Australia, the UAE, Oman, and the four-nation European EFTA bloc. It has also signed a pact with the UK, which will come into force on July 15. The trade pact with the 27-nation EU is expected to be signed by the end of this year and may come into force ne
Early implementation of the free trade agreement (FTA), signed in December 2025 is likely to figure in the meeting of India and Oman on May 11 here, an official said. 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. "Oman team is visiting here on May 11. India will try to push for early implementation of the FTA," the official said. Oman is an important strategic partner of Indian in the Middle East region and is a key gateway for Indian goods and services to the wider Middle East and Africa. Nearly 7 lakh Indian nationals reside in Oman. India receives about USD 2 billion remittances from Oman annually. This is the second trade deal of India with a GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) member. India in May 2022 implemented a similar pact with the UAE and it is expected to soon start talks with
The US has listed India's preference for use of domestic satellites for direct-to-home (DTH) television services and localised shutdown of internet as a barrier to foreign trade. The 2026 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers released by the office of the US Trade Representative (USTR), also flagged that since 2021 American firms have been subject to increasing number of takedown requests for content and user accounts related to issues that appear "politically motivated". The report noted that localised internet shutdowns restrict access to information and services, disrupting commercial operations, and thereby undermining a free and open internet and impeding trade in the digital economy. "The United States continues to monitor the impact of these events on US trade and investment, including services exports," according to the report released on Tuesday. On satellite services, the report said the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting maintains a preference fo
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday held a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao and discussed trade-related issues. The bilateral meeting was held on the sidelines of the 14th ministerial conference (MC14) in Yaounde, Cameroon. "Met Mr. Wang Wentao, Minister of Commerce of China, on the sidelines of the #WTOMC14. Exchanged views on the MC-14 agenda and discussed bilateral trade matters," Goyal said on a social media post. The meeting is important as India's trade deficit with China crossed USD 100 billion during the 11-month period of this fiscal year. During April-February 2025-26, the country's exports to China increased 37.66 per cent to USD 17.54 billion, while imports rose 15.21 per cent to USD 119.55 billion. Trade deficit has widened to USD 102.01 billion from USD 91.03 billion in April-February 2024-25.