Free Trade Agreements

Free trade agreements to give major boost to toy exports: Industry

The series of free trade agreements (FTAs) finalised by India, including the ones with the UK and the European Union, will give a major boost to toy exports, according to industry officials. Under the free trade agreements with the EU and UK, Indian toys will get zero duty access, Toy Association of India Chairman Manu Giota said. At present, the products face about 5-6 per cent import duty in these two markets. "These FTAs will catapult us into the major league, he said, adding that these markets account for about 16 per cent of the country's total toy exports, which stood at USD 0.35 billion in 2024. India signed a trade pact with the UK last year, and it will come into force from July 15. The agreement with the 27-nation EU is likely to be signed by December this year and may be implemented next year. Gupta, who is also the CEO of Playgro Toys India, said that huge investments are coming into the sector due to the business-friendly policies of the Narendra Modi-led ...

Textile stocks Arvind, S P Apparels surge up to 13%; log 52-week highs

The proposed UK and EU free trade agreements (FTAs) are expected to improve the competitiveness of Indian textile export, believe analysts.

Board of Trade meet on July 3 to discuss $2 trillion exports target

Piyush Goyal will chair the Board of Trade meeting on July 3 to discuss boosting exports to $2 trillion by improving FTA utilisation and cutting logistics costs

FTAs need investment teeth if India wants global capital to come in

A combined approach of an FTA with an investment protection agreement will help India re-establish its position as an attractive destination for FDI

KPR, Indo Count, Gokaldas rally up to 9%; what's driving textile stocks?

Brokerage firm Motilal Oswal Financial Services initiated coverage on 8 companies across apparel and home textiles, with Gokaldas Exports, Arvind, and Indo Count Industries as high-conviction picks.

India-UK FTA: 5-year social security payment waiver to aid 75K Indians

Indian companies operating in the UK would not have to make social security contributions for up to five years for employees they move from India to support their operations, a one which will give a major a boost to IT majors like Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Infosys. The commerce ministry said that the Agreement on Social Security or the Double Contribution Convention (DCC) will come into effect from July 15 along with the comprehensive economic and trade agreement (CETA). The DCC "exempts Indian workers and employers from making dual social security contributions in the United Kingdom during temporary assignments. The period of exemption has been increased from 3 years to 5 years," it said. More than 75,000 Indian professionals and over 900 companies are expected to benefit, it said. The agreement, it said, will support mobility and continued social security coverage of the employees on temporary overseas assignments. "This will enhance India-UK partnerships in the servi

Chips, data centres powering India's next logistics leap: Blue Dart MD

AI, semiconductors, FTAs and airport expansion will reshape India's logistics sector, creating new growth avenues, says Blue Dart's Balfour Manuel

'Free trade pacts to boost furniture exports, domestic manufacturing'

Exports and domestic manufacturing of India's furniture sector will witness a major boost from the number of free trade agreements (FTAs) finalised by India in recent years, industry experts say. They said the duty concessions under these trade agreements would not only provide domestic players with preferential access to overseas markets but also encourage capacity expansion and fresh investments in India. India has implemented FTAs with Mauritius, the UAE, Australia, the EFTA bloc, and Oman. It has signed such pacts with New Zealand and the UK, and announced the conclusion of negotiations with the European Union. The country is also negotiating similar trade pacts with a number of other countries, including Israel, Canada, Peru, Chile, Gulf Cooperation Council (Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia), and Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU - Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia). "These agreements will help us provide huge export opportunities. We have already started

Utilisation of FTA benefits low in India; compliance cost is a hurdle: GTRI

India's utilisation of free trade agreement benefits remains low at just 20-30 per cent of eligible exports, compared with 60-70 per cent by the FTA partners, due to high compliance costs and already low tariffs in partner countries, think tank GTRI said on Tuesday. It also said that Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) have made the inverted duty structure issue harder to fix because many finished goods now enter India at low or zero duty from partners such as ASEAN, Japan, South Korea, the UAE and Australia. As a result, Indian manufacturers often pay high duties on imported inputs, especially those sourced from non-FTA countries, while competing against finished products imported duty-free under FTAs, the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said. Citing an example, it said steel and aluminium attract MFN (duty applicable for all countries) duties of 7.5-10 per cent, but machinery, industrial equipment and engineering products made from these materials can enter India duty-free under

We may roll out 9 free trade agreements in next 10 months: Piyush Goyal

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said nine recently signed free trade agreements are expected to become operational within 10 months, with several more trade pacts in the pipeline

India should audit existing FTAs to assess effectiveness: Report

After the trade deal, India's exports to the UAE have risen by $13 billion over the past four years, while imports have increased by $24 billion

India should reassess FTAs, modernise investment screening: Report

India should reassess the effectiveness of its existing Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), modernise its investment screening architecture, and adopt a more coordinated trade and industrial policy framework as geopolitical fragmentation reshapes global commerce, a report said on Thursday. The report said that India's economic strategy must move beyond reactive policymaking and focus on proactive integration through calibrated partnerships, stronger institutional coordination and clearer market access objectives. Among its key recommendations, the report calls on India to audit existing FTAs, assess whether they have met intended objectives, and align future trade agreements more closely with industrial and export priorities. It also recommended that India explore high-quality market arrangements and utilise multilateral institutions and bilateral investment treaties to secure greater predictability for businesses and investors. The report titled 'Resilience in a Fragmenting World: India

Titan gears up to take on global watch giants in premium, luxury segment

But Markose is also revving up in the premium and luxury segment now

UK won't undermine India FTA benefits; steel imports below quota: Leong

House of Lords member Sonny Leong says the UK remains committed to the India FTA and that steel imports are currently well below proposed quota thresholds

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

India needs to design policies that will raise FTA utilisation rates

High tariffs and complex compliance requirements continue to deter free-trade agreement utilisation

'India should focus on FTA implementation, utilisation by exporters'

India's next priority on the free trade agreement (FTA) front should be practical implementation and helping exporters use these pacts, as the gap between the negotiated and used market access remains the country's weakest link, experts say. They said that historically, India's FTA utilisation has hovered around 25 per cent, compared with 70-80 per cent in developed economies, and closing this gap is now the single highest-leverage trade policy reform available. The immediate priority should be to ensure that these negotiated benefits translate into actual claims at the border, they added. "Hence, India's next FTA priority should be practical implementation, helping exporters use the agreements, defend against new trade barriers, and convert market access into sustained export growth," Gulzar Didwania, Partner, Deloitte India, said. India has so far implemented several trade pacts, including those with Singapore, Japan, Korea, the UAE, Australia, ASEAN, and the EFTA bloc. It has a

Goyal to visit Canada next week to boost FTA talks, attract investments

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday said he will lead a business delegation of over 150 members to Canada on May 25-27 to seek investments, enhance collaborations and give impetus to talks for the proposed free trade agreement (FTA). He said that a series of meetings is in the pipeline with leaders and businesses in Ottawa and Toronto. The minister will call on Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and hold a bilateral meeting with his Canadian counterpart Maninder Sidhu. Goyal said that he will also meet representatives of "Maple 8" pension funds of Canada. The "Maple 8" refers to Canada's eight largest public pension funds, which together manage assets worth about 2.4 trillion Canadian dollars and are considered among the world's most influential long-term investors. The group includes major funds like the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, and Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System. These funds invest extensively acros

India seeks advantage over rivals as US trade pact nears finalisation

Goyal said Monday that while the first phase of the deal has been finalized, efforts are underway to ensure India gets preferential access to the US market compared with competitors

FTAs must drive exports, not just imports: Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal urged Indian industry to use upcoming FTAs to boost exports and avoid a surge in imports