Page 37 - Trade

India, Asean agree to speed up negotiations to conclude FTA review in 2025

India and the 10-nation bloc Asean have agreed to fast track negotiations for the review of the existing free trade agreement in goods between the two regions and conclude the talks in 2025, an official statement said on Monday. The issue was discussed during the twentieth AEM (Asean Economic Ministers)-India Consultation meeting, held at Semarang, Indonesia. The commerce ministry said that the main agenda of this year's meeting was the timely review of ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) which was signed in 2009 and implemented in January 2010. The economic ministers' meeting was preceded by AITIGA Joint Committee meeting, which deliberated the roadmap for the review and finalised the term of reference and the work plan of the review negotiations. The review of the AITIGA was a long-standing demand of Indian businesses and the early commencement of the review would help in making the FTA trade facilitative and mutually beneficial, it said. "The ministers agreed to follo

RBI nudges local banks to settle UAE trades in rupee, dirham: Report

India's trade deficit with the UAE was $21.62 billion in 2022/23, or 8.2% of its total deficit, government data shows. In July, the two countries agreed to facilitate trade in rupees instead of dollar

Rural demand to boost revenue of hosiery industry by 18-20% in FY24: Crisil

The Indian hosiery industry is likely to witness 18-20 per cent revenue growth to Rs 36,000 crore this financial year, supported by the revival in rural demand, a report said on Monday. Rural demand, which accounts for almost half the domestic revenue, was impacted last fiscal amid rising inflation and lower farmer income and as a result, the overall volume declined by 30 per cent year-on-year, a report by Crisil Ratings said. "This fiscal, urban demand is expected to remain stable, while a well distributed monsoon and probable inflation moderation should boost rural demand, leading to a recovery of 35-40 per cent in volume. Potential export opportunities, especially to Gulf countries, could bump up volume further," Crisil Ratings Director Rahul Guha said. The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) signed by the government with the UAE could boost textile segment exports, especially of hosiery. Tailwinds from the agreement could add 2-3 per cent to hosiery exports from

G20 Trade and Investment Working Group meeting in Jaipur on August 24-25

Trade and investment ministers from G20 members, heads of international organisations like the World Trade Organization and representatives of invitee countries will attend a meeting here on August 24-25, an official release said on Sunday. More than 300 delegates are arriving in Jaipur to attend the meeting of the trade and investment ministers of G20 under India's presidency. Notably, trade ministers from the US, the UK, China, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, EU, Republic of Korea, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, France, Bangladesh, Egypt, Netherlands, Oman, Singapore and UAE will be attending the meeting which will be chaired by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, the release said. In the opening session on August 24, a video message of the Prime Minister will also be played which will set the stage for fruitful discussions on global trade and investment issues. The ministers will deliberate on issues of common interest impacting global trade and investment across three sessions focus

India, Asian decision on review of FTA in goods expected tomorrow

A decision on a long pending issue of initiating a review of the existing free trade agreement on goods between India and the 10-nation Asean bloc may be taken up during a meeting in Indonesia on Monday, an official said. The issue will come up for discussion and decision during the India-Asean economic ministers meeting on Monday. The meeting is being held on the sidelines of the ongoing meeting of the Economic ministers of ASEAN. An Indian delegation is already there for the deliberations. India has asked for the review of the agreement with an aim to eliminate barriers and misuse of the ASEAN India Trade in Goods Agreement, which came into effect on January 1, 2010. The agenda will come up for discussion and decision tomorrow during the India-Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) economic ministers meeting, the official said. Members of the Asean include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. In general

Paper, paperboard imports surges 39% to 409,000 tonnes in Apr-Jun qtr

India's imports of paper and paperboard surged by 39 per cent at 409,000 tonnes in the first quarter of 2023-24 against 294,000 tonnes in the year-ago quarter, according to an industry body. In value terms, imports rose by 28 per cent to Rs 3,153 crore in the first quarter of FY2023-24 compared to the year-ago period, Indian Paper Manufacturers Association said citing Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics data. The surge in imports comes on the back of a 25 per cent increase in paper and paperboard imports in FY2022-23 over the previous fiscal, according to the official trade data. In FY23, paper and paperboard worth Rs 12,531 crore were imported. In the April-June period of FY24, imports from ASEAN jumped nearly three-fold and from China by 37 per cent in volume terms. Imports of all grades of paper accelerated in the first quarter with the highest jump of 214 per cent seen in imports of uncoated writing & printing paper, 28 per cent in coated paper and ...

Using all platforms to flag non-tariff barriers impacting trade: Official

India is using all multilateral and bilateral platforms including G20 to flag concerns with regard to non-tariff barriers (NTBs) which are impacting the free flow of trade, a top government official said on Friday. India has already raised its concerns on issues like the European Union's (EU) carbon tax on different platforms, including the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Such measures by G20 member countries are likely to figure in the trade ministers' meeting of the grouping next week in Jaipur. "Definitely, we are discussing those NTBs and we are also discussing how to find a good solution, how to find a platform where we can coordinate on these issues and we can understand these issues," Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal told reporters here. The two-day Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting (TIMM) is scheduled on August 24 and 25 in Jaipur. The secretary also said that on the sidelines of TIMM, several high-level bilateral meetings will be held with countries such as the UK

High-level meetings on FTA between India, UK scheduled for next week

High-level meetings of ministers and top officials of India and the UK are scheduled next week to review the progress of talks for the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries, a senior government official said on Friday. The meetings assume significance as both countries have reached a crucial juncture of the FTA negotiations. Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal also said that bilateral meetings will also be held with the official teams of the European Union (EU) and Canada. These teams are coming for the two-day Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting (TIMM) in Jaipur. It is commencing on August 24. High-level bilateral meetings will be held with countries such as the UK, Canada and EU to discuss progress with regard to proposed free trade agreements, he told reporters here while briefing about the TIMM. Negotiations on such agreements are underway with all these countries. "This G20 ministerial meeting is useful for us to conduct some of the important bilat

Vegetable oil July imports up 46% to 1.7 mn tn due to palm oil shipments

India's vegetable oil imports increased by 46 per cent to 17.71 lakh tonnes in July this year on rise in palm oil shipments, industry body SEA said on Monday. The country's vegetable oil imports stood at 12.14 lakh tonnes in the year-ago period, it said. Similarly, during the first nine months of the 2022-23 oil year (November-October), the overall import of vegetable oils increased by 23 per cent to 122.54 lakh tonnes from 99.74 lakh tonnes in the same period last year. Vegetable oil imports comprise both edible and non-edible oils. According to the Solvent Extractors Association (SEA), edible oil imports rose 46 per cent to 17.55 lakh tonnes during July this year, when compared to 12.05 lakh tonnes in the year-ago period. Non-edible oil imports too increased to 15,999 tonnes from 9,069 tonnes in the said period. With sharp reduction in domestic prices of edible oils, "demand has returned which is evident from the rising import in spite of better domestic availability reflecting

Govt expects PLI payouts to rise Rs 13,000 cr this year: DPIIT official

Under the $24 billion scheme, the federal government pays local manufacturers when targets such as sales are met, aiming to boost investment in manufacturing. Targets differ from sector to sector

Improved capacity, reduced turnaround time: India's ports mean business

Major ports have added more than 100 million tonnes in additional traffic since 2014-15

Non-tariff barriers emerging as tool to disrupt textiles trade: AEPC

Non-tariff barriers (NTBs) are gradually emerging as a potent tool to damage and even disrupt legitimate textiles trade, apparel export promotion council (AEPC) said on Thursday. As many as 131 NTB notifications are issued related to the textile sector since 2019 with Uganda at the top position with 71 notifications, it said. It was followed by Ecuador (10), China (8), Taiwan (7), Israel (5), USA (4), and Peru (3). These barriers include certifications, inspections, regulations, standards, SPS (sanitary and phyto-sanitary - related with plants and animals) measures, and technical barriers to trade (TBT). These measures are by and large in conformity with the rules of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). But when these measures are used unfairly, in violation of WTO agreements to discriminate against imports and restrict market access, then they become non-tariff barriers hampering legitimate trade. The council has organized a webinar on emerging non-tariff barriers in the apparel

Gold price falls Rs 110 to Rs 59,950, silver dips Rs 500 to Rs 73,500

The price of 22-carat gold also dipped Rs 100, with the yellow metal selling at Rs 54,950

Trade settlement in INR btw India-Bangladesh to boost commerce: CII EXIM

India and Bangladesh commencing cross-border trade settlement in Indian rupee (INR) would promote two-way commerce by reducing transaction cost, an industry official said on Sunday. CII national committee on EXIM Sanjay Budhia said that since all exports and imports and settlement of trade transactions under this arrangement may be denominated and invoiced in INR, this would also reduce dependence on the US Dollar and would address situations like scarcity of forex reserves apart from strengthening regional currency and trade. In July, Bangladesh and India launched trade transactions in rupees with the aim of reducing dependence on the US dollar and strengthening regional currency and trade. This is the first time Bangladesh has done bilateral trade with a foreign country in addition to the US dollar. "This would certainly promote the growth of trade between the nations and support the increasing interest of the global trading community in INR," Budhia said adding due to this ...

China lifts tariff on Australian barley in a sign of improved relations

China is lifting a stifling 3-year-old tariff on Australian barley starting Saturday a sign of an improving bilateral trade relationship since Australia's government changed. China effectively closed its door to Australian barley in May 2020 by imposing an 80.5 per cent tariff after the previous Australian government angered Beijing by calling for an independent inquiry into the origins of, and responses to, the COVID-19 pandemic. On Friday, both governments confirmed the resumption of trade in the grain that was worth 916 million Australian dollars (USD 602 million) in the year before China blocked imports. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese welcomed the breakthrough, which comes as he plans his first visit to Beijing as government leader before the end of the year. This is a very positive decision, Albanese told reporters. When Albanese's government was elected in May 2022, he demanded Beijing drop a series of official and unofficial trade barriers against Australian ..

Chinese carmaker BYD faces investigation for underpaying tax in India: Rpt

India's Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has alleged that China's largest electric vehicle (EV) maker, underpaid tax of Rs 73 crore ($9 million)

India's July edible oil imports hit record at 1.76 mn metric tonnes

India's average monthly edible oil imports in 2021/22 marketing year were 1.17 mn tonnes, trade body SEA said. In June, India imported 1.3 million tonnes of edible oils

12th round of India, UK free trade agreement talks to begin from August 7

As India and the UK are close to concluding negotiations for a proposed free trade agreement (FTA), chief negotiators of both countries will hold the 12th round of talks from August 7 here, an official said. Both sides are looking at concluding the talks before the end of the year. The main issues which could come up for discussions in this round include investment treaty, reduction of duties on auto and whiskey and matters pertaining to services, the official said. The 11th round of talks was concluded last month. For that round, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal visited London and took stock of the negotiations. Out of the total 26 chapters in the FTA, 19 have been closed. Investment is being negotiated as a separate agreement (bilateral investment treaty) between India and the UK and it would be concluded simultaneously with the free trade agreement. In the rules of origin chapters, product specific rules are being negotiated whi

Tiger trade syndicate busted, ex-WPSI officer arrested: Govt agency

Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), an apex body constituted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF & CC) to combat the organised wildlife crime and illegal wildlife trade, issued a red alert to all Tiger reserves and tiger bearing areas to intensify the patrolling and sanitise all above areas from hunting gangs on July 29, 2023.A tiger skin and bones were seized and five offenders were arrested at Guwahati by Assam Forest and police officials on 28 June, 2023, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said.The case was transferred by the Assam forest department to WCCB for investigation as the case showed involvement of multiple states.According to Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the WCCB constituted an SIT to investigate the Guwahati tiger skin and bone seizure case. The preliminary interrogation of the offenders showed that the tiger body parts seized belong to the Gadchiroli area in Maharashtra. These initial ...

India should exclude premium rice variety from export ban: Trade body

India should allow exports of 1 million metric tons of a premium non-basmati rice variety favoured by overseas Indians, which are struggling to secure staple after New Delhi banned the exports