Free Trade Agreements

'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

FTAs, lower import duties to boost India's FDI flows: ADB chief economist

Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), reduction in import tariffs and improvement in business environment would encourage higher net foreign capital inflows into India, which have moderated in recent years, ADB Chief Economist Albert Park has said. During 2021-22, India attracted net Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) of USD 38.6 billion, which came down to USD 28 billion in FY23 and further fell to USD 10.2 billion in FY24. Net FDI -- inflow minus outflow -- came down significantly to single digit to USD 1 billion in FY25 but improved to USD 3 billion during the April-December period of FY26. The government should continue reducing import tariffs to ensure foreign investments remain competitive, he told PTI in an interview. It also needs to strengthen the overall manufacturing ecosystem by developing industrial zones with robust infrastructure and integrated facilities, making them easier for foreign firms to address their business needs efficiently in one place, he said, adding that free tr

Industry must better leverage FTAs for trade growth: Commerce Secy

The Indian industry needs to leverage and utilise the free trade agreements (FTAs) that India is finalising, as they provide huge opportunities for both trade and investments, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said on Monday. The secretary said that the track record of the country fully utilising and leveraging FTAs is "not great". He also said that the country's industrial policy should complement its trade policy, as trade is also a function of how India invests and produces. "...FTA utilization is something we are questioned again and again. What is the benefit that FTAs are actually leading to?," he said here while addressing a session on free trade agreements. India has implemented trade pacts with a number of countries and groupings including Singapore, Japan, Korea and Asean. Agrawal said these pacts have led to increase in bilateral trade, but India's exports have grown at a slower pace than imports. Talking about the trade pacts with Mauritius, the UAE, Australia, the EU

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, UK discuss ways to boost bilateral trade, investments under CETA

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-New Zealand trade pact cuts fruit tariffs, boosts exports and visas

The agreement, concluded in December, will see New Zealand eliminate duties on all Indian exports, while India will reduce tariffs on 95 per cent of imports from the South Pacific nation

India-New Zealand FTA to be signed today: Key gains, sectors, and impact

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

New Zealand's opposition Labour Party to back free trade deal with India

New Zealand and India concluded a free trade deal in December that will eliminate or reduce tariffs on 95 per cent of New Zealand's ‌exports to India

Industry seeks duty concessions to sell goods from SEZs to domestic mkt

Industry bodies have urged the government to allow SEZ units to sell goods in the domestic market at zero or concessional duties similar to FTA imports to remove disadvantages and boost manufacturing

In a world without order, India must build economic, military strengths

Building economic and military strength at home and securing trade deals abroad are vital

India-EU FTA leaves carbon tax intact, talks to address concerns: Official

The European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) will not see any exceptions despite the concluded India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA), but both sides have committed to technical discussions to find the best way forward, a senior German environment ministry official said here. Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary in the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection, emphasised that the CBAM is not targeted against any specific country but serves as a necessary protective measure once carbon pricing is introduced domestically in the EU. "CBAM is not against anyone. Once you introduce carbon pricing, you need to have some kind of protection," Flasbarth told PTI Videos on Wednesday during his ongoing visit to India, where he held discussions with officials from the Ministries of New and Renewable Energy, Power, and Environment, Forest and Climate Change. "With the carbon pricing, we need to do something, and that is

Indian team to visit US next week to finalise legal text for trade pact

The visit is likely to start from February 23

FTA tariff concessions could cost India Rs 1 trillion in FY26

India's customs duty forgone due to FTAs could cross ₹1 trillion in FY27, with Asean accounting for the largest share, Budget documents show

Driven by FTAs: Ashok Leyland may redraw EU and UK export playbook

Hinduja Group flagship may consider exporting electric buses from India to EU and UK markets, while expanding capacity in West Asia

UK touts first mover edge as India FTA debate heats up in Commons

The UK government has highlighted its first mover advantage by signing a free trade agreement (FTA) with a rapidly growing Indian economy ahead of the European Union (EU), which it claimed had used Britain's deal as a "baseline". During a House of Commons debate on the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) earlier this week, the Opposition Conservatives insisted the deal with "one of the largest economies on the planet, which is growing approximately five times faster than the European Union" could have been better. "British businesses needed something with a really good kick in it to get this country growing. Instead of a vindaloo of a deal, the Prime Minister came back with a bag of soggy poppadoms," said Andrew Griffith, shadow business and trade secretary. Chris Bryant, minister of state in the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), responded on behalf of the Labour government to stress that CETA was a "momentous achievement" which goes "well beyond India'

India, Gulf Cooperation Council sign terms of reference to begin FTA talks

India and the six-nation bloc of Middle Eastern nations, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), on Thursday inked terms of reference on Thursday for starting talks for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The terms of reference (ToR) outline the scope and modalities of a proposed trade pact. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal presided over the signing ceremony of the ToRs with GCC. GCC is a union of six countries in the Gulf region -- Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain. Goyal said that the agreement will help boost bilateral trade and investments between the two. He added that about 10 million Indians are living and working in the GCC region. India has already implemented a free trade pact with the UAE in May 2022. India and Oman also signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in Muscat on December 18, 2025. Launch of FTA talks with the GCC would be a kind of resumption of the negotiations, as the earlier two rounds of negotiations were held

India, US working towards closing trade deal quickly, says Piyush Goyal

The negotiations for a proposed bilateral trade agreement between India and the US are progressing, and both countries are working to close the deal "quickly", Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Saturday. He expressed confidence that "good news" on this front will be announced in the near future. "Every free trade agreement stands on its own legs. And we are having very good negotiations. My counterpart in the US and I have a very wonderful working relationship and a wonderful personal friendship. We are working towards closing the deal quickly," Goyal told PTI in an interview. He was replying to a question about when the "father of all deals" between India and the US would become a reality, now that the "mother of all deals" is already in the bag. The free trade agreement between India and the European Union, which was concluded recently, has been widely termed as "mother of all deals". On whether the India-US trade pact could be concluded by the end of this year