Cepa

India-Oman free trade pact comes into force; exporters set to gain

The free trade agreement between India and Oman came into force on Monday, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said. The India-Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) will benefit domestic exporters in sectors such as textiles, leather, plastics, marine products, automobiles, sports goods, and agri-items, as they gain preferential access to the Omani market over competitors, Goyal said. "The India-Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement is entering into force from today," the minister told reporters here. The free trade pact was signed on 18th December 2025 in Muscat. Upon completion of internal processes by both parties, the Agreement entered into force on 1st June, 2026. To mark the entry into force, about 10 consignments of agriculture and gems and jewellery products from Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai were shipped to the Gulf nation under the preferential tariffs. Oman is India's second-largest trading partner in the Gulf region and serves as a

Duty concessions for Omani imports under India FTA kick in from June 1

Duty concessions on Omani imports under the India-Oman CEPA come into force from June 1, covering nearly 95% of India's imports from Oman

India-Oman CEPA set to unlock new export opportunities from June 1

The India-Oman CEPA is expected to diversify exports, boost duty-free access and strengthen India's trade connectivity with GCC markets

India seeks deeper Canada investment ties as CEPA talks gather pace

Piyush Goyal pitched India as a long-term investment destination during his Canada visit as both countries accelerate negotiations for the proposed CEPA trade agreement

India and Canada to conclude Cepa by November, says Piyush Goyal

Carney, after a meeting with Goyal, called the Cepa between the two nations a "game changer".

India-Canada aim to conclude CEPA by year-end; triple trade by 2030: Goyal

Goyal said that he has arrived in Ottawa with the largest Indian business delegation in the country's history, showcasing India's commitment to the relationship

As Strait of Hormuz fears grow, Canada makes an energy pitch to India

With conflict in West Asia raising concerns over energy security, Canada's High Commissioner to India, Chris Cooter, says new export infrastructure could help channel oil, LNG & LPG supplies to India

Goyal's Canada visit may accelerate Cepa negotiations, deepen energy ties

Piyush Goyal's Canada visit is set to push CEPA talks forward, with energy security, clean energy and trade diversification in focus

India, South Korea likely to hold FTA review negotiations on May 25

India and South Korea are expected to hold negotiations on May 25 regarding the review of the comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA), which was implemented in January 2010, an official said. The deliberations are important as India has suggested Korea to consider negotiating a fresh bilateral trade agreement to make it more contemporary and address concerns of the trade deficit. "The officials of the two countries are meeting on May 25 for the FTA review," the official said. Last month, in a bilateral meeting here, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal made the suggestion to negotiate a fresh FTA to his Korean counterpart Yeo Han-koo. The minister, on multiple occasions, flagged India's concerns over the widening trade deficit between the two countries. India's exports to Korea declined 9.3 per cent to USD 5.81 billion in 2024-25 from USD 6.41 billion in 2023-24. Imports fell marginally by 0.34 per cent to USD 21 billion in 2024-25, leaving a trade deficit of US

India, Canada begin second round of CEPA trade talks to boost ties

India and Canada on Monday started second round of negotiations for a free trade agreement aimed at boosting two-way commerce and investments, an official said. The pact is officially known as the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and negotiations will cover trade in goods, services, and other mutually agreed policy areas. "The five-day talks started on May 4 here," the official said. The first round was held in March. This round is important as Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will visit Canada by end of this month to give an impetus to the negotiations. The negotiations mark the resumption of talks, as the two countries had earlier engaged in a similar exercise, but Canada paused it in 2023. Now, they decided to resume talks from the beginning as a lot has changed on the global trade front during these two years. The negotiations are important as the two sides have fixed a target to increase the bilateral trade to USD 50 billion by 2030. It stood at

India-UAE trade crosses $100 billion under free trade pact: Piyush Goyal

The India-UAE free trade agreement, which came into force in May 2022, has helped the bilateral trade to cross USD 100 billion, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Friday. The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with the UAE acts as a gateway to Africa, other GCC and Middle Eastern countries, CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) countries and some European countries. Bilateral merchandise trade has grown strongly, crossing USD 100 billion, with services trade also rising steadily and opening new markets and greater value, he said in a social media post. The bilateral trade stood at USD 101.25 billion in 2025-26 compared to USD 100.03 billion in 2024-25. The trade, he said, has expanded in key sectors like gems and jewellery, engineering goods, electronics, and agriculture. During 2025-26, India's exports to the UAE rose about 2 per cent to USD 37.36 billion, while imports were up 0.77 per cent to USD 63.89 billion, resulting in a trade deficit o

Datanomics: Skew towards UAE continues in bilateral trade with India

India-UAE trade crossed $100 billion in FY25, but rising imports-especially energy-have widened India's trade deficit despite CEPA-driven export diversification

Piyush Goyal may travel to Canada in February to resume FTA talks

Piyush Goyal may visit Canada in February, paving the way for restarting stalled India-Canada trade talks after a two-year diplomatic freeze over the Nijjar controversy

India-Oman trade agreement opens the door to social security talks

In 2024, India's bilateral services trade with Oman stood at $863 million, with exports of $665 million and imports of $198 million, resulting in a surplus of $447 million for India

Trade deal: India gets zero-duty access on over 99% exports to Oman

Under the trade deal, Oman has offered India zero-duty market access on 98 per cent of its tariff lines, covering over 99 per cent of India's exports to Oman

Next round of talks on proposed trade pact with Chile likely in Dec

The next round of negotiations between India and Chile on the proposed free trade agreement is expected to be held in December here, an official said. The pact with the the South American nation may help India access critical minerals, which are key inputs for electronics, auto, and solar sectors. India and Chile concluded the third round of negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in Santiago. The four-day talks concluded on October 30. India is seeking preferential treatment for critical minerals in Chile under the pact. India's growing trade engagement with Chile reflects its strategic focus on building stronger partnerships with the Latin American region through mutually beneficial and comprehensive economic cooperation frameworks, the official said. India and Chile implemented a preferential trade agreement (PTA) in 2006 and are now negotiating to widen its scope for a comprehensive economic partnership agreement. CEPA aims to build upon the exis

Piyush Goyal to visit Qatar for talks on comprehensive trade pact

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal's Qatar visit on October 6-7 will include talks on the proposed India-Qatar trade agreement, reviewing bilateral trade and strengthening sectoral cooperation

India, Oman free trade agreement likely to be announced soon, says official

The conclusion and signing of the proposed free trade agreement between India and Oman is expected to be announced soon, an official has said. The trade pact text is being translated into Arabic in Oman. After that, the cabinets of both countries will approve the agreement, according to the official. "Both countries have, in principle, decided to announce the conclusion and signing together," the official added. When asked if it would take two to three months, the official said: "Much less" than that. The talks for the agreement, officially termed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), formally began in November 2023. In such agreements, two trading partners either significantly reduce or eliminate customs duties on a maximum number of goods traded between them. They also ease norms to promote trade in services and attract investments. Oman is the third-largest export destination among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries for India. India already has a

Govt tightens gold import rules, plugs Dubai route misuse under CEPA

Only authorised importers can now bring gold or silver under India-UAE CEPA; new codes introduced to curb gold misdeclared as platinum to avoid higher duties

GTRI suggests duty cuts withdrawal on gold jewellery under India-UAE FTA

With the government seeking a review of certain provisions of a free trade agreement with UAE, think tank GTRI on Friday asked for the withdrawal of duty cut concessions on platinum, silver, diamonds, gold jewellery, and tweak the rules of origin norms in the pact. India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed the Free Trade Agreement (FTA), officially dubbed as Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) on February 18, 2022, and implemented on May 1, 2022. The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) has earlier stated that the pact contains provisions for unlimited imports of duty-free gold, silver, platinum, and diamonds into India over the next few years and it would hurt domestic industry. It has also alleged that there is a potential misuse of the rules of origin in the agreement and due to that India should review the CEPA. Meeting these rules are must to get duty concessions under the agreement. In the review, it said India should focus on issues such as "withdraw