Page 2 - India Trade Policy

Three years on, India-Australia trade deal sees high use, but modest gains

With high levels of saturation, India is now looking to convert the interim deal into a comprehensive trade agreement that will include new-age trade issues left out in the first round

Make the most of free-trade agreements, PM Narendra Modi tells exporters

At a high-level meeting with export councils, PM Modi called on exporters to fully leverage India's FTAs amid US tariff hikes, while industry sought policy and financial relief

India could cut trade costs and boost exports through CPTA: Report

India stands to reduce trade costs and significantly boost export competitiveness by embracing paperless trading systems, with such initiatives expected to cut trade costs of economies in the Asia-Pacific region by about 25 per cent, according to a joint report by policy think tanks ICRIER and RIS. Cross-border paperless trade, which builds on the broader idea of paperless trade and refers to conducting trade through electronic communication, is gaining momentum regionally with the Framework Agreement on Facilitation of Cross-Border Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific (CPTA) being a key driver. Countries joining this agreement benefit from streamlined trade procedures, lower logistics costs, and improved regulatory cooperation. As of January 2025, 16 countries are a part of the CPTA. India has taken multiple domestic reforms, including the Single Window Interface for Facilitating Trade (SWIFT) and electronic handling of indirect tax documents, yet it has not joined the CPTA so .

India keen to raise energy purchases from US for 'win-win' trade deal

"Our negotiating team is already in the US, and (they are) trying to see if we can have a win-win solution between the two sides, which can address some of these tariff issues," he told reporters

Is India ready to embrace CPTPP after walking out of RCEP in 2019?

Six years after leaving RCEP, India faces pressure to rejoin or consider CPTPP as US tariffs disrupt exports - but core trade, dairy, and policy hurdles persist

Centre says trade team to visit US this week as bilateral talks progress

The negotiations resumed last month as both sides sought to ease tensions following President Donald Trump's decision to slap India with the highest tariffs in Asia

Yr-end deadline for India-EU deal a 'little unwise': Bruegel's Zettlemeyer

Zettlemeyer says India should embrace trade, private investment, and reforms for faster growth, while navigating US protectionism and climate finance challenges

Taking stock of US shutdown impact on trade talks, says Piyush Goyal

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal says clarity on India-US trade negotiations is expected within a week; highlights export resilience and fintech leadership at GFF 2025

India must have strong trade ties with neighbours including China: NITI CEO

India should have strong trading arrangements with its neighbours including China, which is a USD 18 trillion economy that cannot be avoided, NITI Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam has said. Subrahmanyam also indicated that after GST 2.0, another set of reforms is expected to be announced before Diwali. He said NITI Aayog member Rajiv Gauba-led committee has already submitted its first set of reports on these reforms. He further said that while the entire European Union trades 50 per cent within itself, Bangladesh is India's 6th biggest trading partner and Nepal used to be in the top 10, stressing on the need to increase trade with neighbouring countries. "It is a misfortune that we are in a very difficult geography. Who are the biggest trading partners of the US? Mexico and Canada. It is natural. If you do not have strong neighbourhood trading arrangements, you actually are at a disadvantage...If you are competitive, they will buy your stuff," he said. Responding to a question on lifting

Need sharper trade focus on Asia, neighbours: NITI CEO B V R Subrahmanyam

Says no sector should be protected and markets need to be opened up globally

NITI Aayog CEO confident of early India-US trade pact, urges lower tariffs

NITI Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam on Monday exuded confidence that a trade agreement would be concluded between India and the US soon, as both countries are committed to having a mutually beneficial bilateral trade pact. Subrahmanyam also said that India should lower tariffs and non-tariff barriers and open its markets to improve competitiveness in manufacturing. "So the good thing is, both sides are still committed to having a trade deal. So negotiations happened last month, so I think both sides are hopeful," he told reporters while launching 'Trade Watch Quarterly' here. The ties between New Delhi and Washington have come under severe stress after US President Donald Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods in August to 50 per cent, including an additional 25 per cent duty on India's purchase of Russian crude oil. India had described the US action as "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable". Asked to comment on the impact of a whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods, Subrahmanyam

India's trade hurdle: Bureaucrats unchecked, entrepreneurs unheard

The entrepreneur filed her shipping bill for export of certain goods she had been exporting for years

India, EU to begin next round of trade talks from Monday in Brussels

Senior officials of India and the 27-nation European Union (EU) will commence the next round of talks for a proposed free trade agreement on Monday in Brussels to iron out differences on issues for early conclusion of the negotiations, an official said. This will be the 14th round of negotiations between the two sides. The five-day talks will begin on October 6, the official said. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has recently expressed hope that the two sides will sign the agreement soon. The pact aims at boosting two-way commerce and investments. Goyal is also likely to meet EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic in South Africa later this month to review the progress of talks, as the deadline to conclude the negotiations is December. Sefcovic and the European Commission's Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen were here last month to review the progress of talks with Goyal. Both sides have targeted to conclude negotiations by December. In June 2022, India and the

Next round of talks on proposed trade pacts with Chile, Peru in Oct, Nov

The next round of negotiations between India and two South American countries, Chile and Peru, will be held in October and November, respectively, an official said. The five-day talks with Chile will start on October 27 in Santiago, the three-day deliberations with Peru will begin on November 3 in Lima, the official said. Both agreements are being negotiated separately. India is set to hold its second round of trade talks with Chile and the eighth round of negotiations with Peru. 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). CEPA aims to build upon the existing PTA between the two nations and seeks to encompass a broader range of sectors, including digital services, investment promotion and cooperation, MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises), and critical minerals. The bilateral trade between India and Chile is modest. In 2024-25, India's exports t

India, Japan, Australia need alliance to counter major economies: Suzuki

An alliance of 'middle-power' countries will mean that these economies work together to ensure they are self-reliant among themselves and have a trusted network, he said

Putin orders his govt to address India's trade imbalance concerns

Ahead of the India-Russia summit, President Putin directs ministers to resolve trade imbalance, ease barriers for Indian exports and strengthen private sector ties

Govt lifts export ban on de-oiled rice bran to support cattle feed industry

The government on Friday announced the lifting of the export ban on de-oiled rice bran, used in the cattle feed industry. Edible oil industry body SEA had earlier urged the government to lift the ban on exports to protect domestic processors and enhance farmers' income. "The export policy of de-oiled rice bran is hereby amended from prohibited to free with immediate effect," the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification. The ban was imposed last year. In a separate notification, the DGFT said exports of agricultural commodities like dairy goods, onions, potatoes, certain vegetables, rice, and wheat, to Bhutan are exempted from applicable restrictions and prohibitions, with immediate effect and until further orders. Bhutan is India's friendly neighbour. These exemptions are also on other commodities, including tea, soybean oil, groundnut oil, palm oil, animal, vegetable fats and oils, Cane or beet sugar, and salt. In another notification, the DGFT said th

RBI extends MTT payment timeline to six months, eases compliance rules

RBI extended the merchanting trade payment timeline to six months from four and simplified reconciliation rules for small exporters and importers to ease compliance burden

India boosts ties with SICA nations; focus on trade, digital payments: EAM

Over the past decade, India's relations with SICA countries have seen a marked improvement, and Jaishankar acknowledged this growing cooperation

EU looks east: Why India must seize the moment to clinch its FTA deal

The European Union has shown flexibility in its FTA policy. India must capitalise