Page 41 - Trade

Egyptian supply minister says no credit line has been opened with India

Egyptian Supply Minister Ali Moselhy said on Monday that no credit line had been opened with India but discussions were ongoing regarding payments for imports using currencies other than the dollar

India, UAE looking at ways to expand trade in value-added gold products

India and the UAE are looking at ways to increase trade in value-added gold and gold products, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Monday. A decision in this regard would be announced in due course, he said. He said that the UAE is one of the major suppliers of gold to India after Switzerland, and New Delhi would like to encourage that trade even further with the UAE. India has given certain duty concessions on the import of gold from the UAE under a free trade agreement, officially dubbed as CEPA (Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement) and it was implemented on May 1 last year. There were certain issues with regard to operationalising those concessions which have been sorted out now, he said. India has given customs duty concessions on imports of gold for up to 200 tonnes per year from the UAE. The import duty in general on gold is 15 per cent. Now this year, India hopes the UAE exporters would be able to ship the specified quantity of gold under the agree

India, UAE central banks discuss rupee-dirham trade progression: Goyal

Discussions between the central banks of India and UAE on promoting bilateral trade in the rupee and dirham to reduce transaction cost is progressing at a "very" fast pace, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Monday. As the top leaders of both countries are decisive, so one "can imagine good outcomes very soon" on this, he added. India and the UAE already implemented a free trade agreement (FTA) in May last year to give a boost to bilateral trade and economic ties. The central banks of both countries are discussing the standard operating procedures and modalities. These talks were started in March 2022, and now "it is about a year since then, but both the countries have made significant progress," Goyal told reporters here. The RBI and the Central Bank of the UAE have been in a "very active" dialogue, and the finance ministry here is also "very" supportive and handling the entire issue, he said. "I am sure that given the high level of engagement on both sides, not

Robust trade ecosystem crucial to achieve $2 trn exports by 2030: DGFT

A robust and easy trade finance ecosystem is important for India to achieve the USD 2 trillion exports target by 2030, a senior government official said on Thursday. Additional Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) S C Aggarwal said easy availability of affordable trade finance helps promote export competitiveness. Traders and the government have to work on issues like obtaining easy finance both for domestic and cross-border trade, he said. "A robust and easy trade finance ecosystem is very important for moving us to achieve this goal (of USD 2 trillion)," Aggarwal said here at an event. India has set an ambitious target to take its total goods and services exports to USD 2 trillion by 2030. According to the commerce ministry's data, exports of goods and services in 2022-23 rose 14.68 per cent to USD 775.87 billion as against USD 676.53 billion in 2021-22. He suggested the industry to focus on how to make it easier to get the finance and ways to strengthen this ecosystem.

India and US launch strategic trade dialogue ahead of PM Modi's visit

Ahead of the historic US visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the two countries have launched a strategic trade dialogue here during which officials reviewed the ongoing cooperation in multilateral export control regimes and agreed to share the best practices to further the bilateral ties. At the inaugural India-US Strategic Trade Dialogue (IUSSTD), the Indian delegation was led by Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra. The US delegation was co-led by Alan Estevez, Under Secretary for Industry and Security in the US Department of Commerce and Ambassador Victoria Nuland, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs in the US Department of State. The dialogue is a key mechanism to take forward the strategic technology and trade collaborations envisaged under the India-US initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET). The meeting took place ahead of Prime Minister Modi's maiden state visit to the US at the invitation of President Joe Biden. Modi will be visiting the US fro

Indian Energy Exchange trade volume grows 8% to 8,251 mn units in May

The total trade volume of the Indian Energy Exchange grew by 8 per cent year-on-year to 8,251 million units (MU) in May. The average spot power price during May 2023 was 30 per cent lower at Rs 4.74 per unit against Rs 6.76 per unit in May 2022, due to an improving supply-side scenario, leading to increased liquidity, and cooler weather conditions. "Indian Energy Exchange achieved 8,251 MU overall volume in May 2023, including green market trade of 358 MU, 1.42 lakh RECs (equivalent to 142 MU) and 2.02 lakh ESCerts (equivalent to 202 MU). The overall volume during the month was higher by 8 per cent on YoY (Year-on-Year) basis," an IEX statement said. While an increase in power demand is expected in the coming months, the supply-side liquidity is likely to further improve due to enhanced coal supply, reduction in e-auction coal prices and consistently declining imported coal and gas prices. This will lead to competitive prices and higher clearance for Discoms and Open Access consume

Int'l transport corridor: Reflection of India's expanding global footprint

The development of INSTC shows the strategic vision, political will and state capacity of countries like India, Iran and Russia to establish an alternative vision for the economic growth

Invest India to set up desks in all states to promote investment: Goyal

Officials of the Directorate General of Foreign Trade would be shifted to 'Invest India', which will set up trade and investment desks in each state of the country, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said here on Friday. These desks will promote investments and exports, he said, adding that work of the DGFT will be moved online so that no one will need to visit offices. Interacting with industry captains in Panaji in presence of Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, the Union Minister for Commerce and Industry said Invest India, which was helping foreign investors, will now also help domestic investors. "They (Invest India) will encourage more investment and also partnerships between the industries. They will also do match making," Goyal said. Goyal said his ministry would be inviting 20-30 top pharma players to create four to five hubs of the sector in different states, including Goa. Efforts will be taken to expand pharma industries in states like Goa, Gujarat, Hyderabad (Telangana), Himac

Global trade indicates possible turnaround in second quarter of 2023: WTO

Global goods trade is expected to witness a turnaround in the second quarter of this year due to a recent pickup in export orders, the WTO said on Wednesday. According to the WTO's Goods Trade Barometer, preliminary data suggest that trade remained depressed in the first quarter of 2023. "But the recent pickup in export orders points to an increase in demand for traded goods in the second quarter," it added. These results are broadly consistent with the WTO's most recent trade forecast issued on April 5, which projects 1.7 per cent growth in world merchandise trade in 2023. The WTO's (World Trade Organisation) expectation augurs well for India, which is struggling to push its outbound shipments. India's exports contracted by 12.7 per cent, the third month in a row, to USD 34.66 billion in April even as the trade deficit reduced to a 20-month low of USD 15.24 billion, the government data showed.

Sebi levies penalty of Rs 40 lakh on 8 entities for non-genuine trades

Capital markets regulator Sebi on Tuesday levied fines totalling Rs 40 lakh on eight entities for indulging in non-genuine trades in the illiquid stock options segment on BSE. The regulator slapped a fine of Rs 5 lakh each on Sunbright Commodities Trade, Sunita Gupta, Ecospace Distributors, Fendra Infrastructure, Fastglow Distributors, Fort Gloster Industries, Flute Developers and Franklin Leasing and Finance Ltd. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) had observed large-scale reversal trades in the illiquid stock options segment on BSE, leading to artificial volumes on the exchange. The regulator conducted an investigation into the trading activities of certain entities engaged in the segment from April 2014 to September 2015. According to Sebi, these eight entities that have been fined on Tuesday were among those who indulged in the execution of reversal trades. The reversal trades are alleged to be non-genuine in nature as they are executed in the normal course of ..

Govt to brief industry on US-led initiative IPEF's supply chain pillar

Government officials said there will be more rounds of stakeholder and legal consultations will take place before the text is finalised

EU's proposed carbon tax won't affect trade relation with India: Timmermans

European Union's climate policy chief Frans Timmermans on Friday said the bloc's proposed carbon tax will not have any negative effect on its trade relationship with India and that it would do nothing that is in violation of World Trade Organisation rules. The EU plans to implement a carbon import tax of 25 to 30 per cent on high carbon goods such as steel, cement, aluminum, iron, fertilisers, electricity and hydrogen. This has led to concerns about the impact on developing nations heavily reliant on carbon-intensive industries. The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CABM), expected to be introduced in its transitional phase from October, is part of the EU's larger climate strategy which focuses on incentivising member countries to reduce their carbon emissions and adopt greener practices. "If India fulfills all its ambitions in terms of greening the economy and reducing the carbon footprint and creating comparable footprints to the EU, there is no worry that CBAM will have a ...

Govt caps amount of interest subvention at Rs 10 cr per IEC holder

The government on Thursday capped the amount of interest subvention at Rs 10 crore per IEC (import-export code) holder in one financial year. In March last year, the RBI extended the interest equalisation scheme for pre and post-shipment rupee credit for MSME exporters till March 2024 with the objective of boosting outbound shipments. Exporters get subsidies under the 'Interest Equalisation Scheme for pre and post-shipment Rupee Export Credit'. "The annual net subvention amount would be capped at Rs 10 crore per IEC in a given financial year. All disbursements made from April 1, 2023, shall be counted for an IEC for the current financial year," the directorate general of foreign trade (DGFT) said in a trade notice. The interest equalisation rates under the scheme have been revised to 2 per cent and 3 per cent for specified categories of MSME manufacturer exporters. Import-Export Code (IEC) is an important document required to undertake the business of inbound and outbound shipment

India, Australia working on comprehensive trade agreement: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said India and Australia are working on a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA), and exuded confidence that the bilateral trade will more than double in five years. The two countries have already signed India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA), he said expressing hope the pact will help in doubling the two-way commerce in the next five years. Addressing a community event at Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena, the Prime Minister said the two countries are now working on CECA. "We are building a resilient and reliable supply chain. This will strengthen the business of both countries," he said. Modi, who is visiting Australia as a guest of the Australian government, said the air connectivity between India and Australia has increased and the number of flights would go up further in the coming days. Australia was the 13th largest trading partner of India in 2022-23. While exports stood at USD 6.95 billion, imports from

Digital technologies will be key factor in future trade: WTO chief

The chief of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) said on Tuesday that digital technologies will serve as a key factor that affects trade in the future

PM Modi, Vietnamese PM discuss expanding cooperation in trade, technology

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday held wide-ranging talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh and discussed expanding cooperation in areas like trade and investment, defence and energy. The two leaders met on the sidelines of the summit of the Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies in Hiroshima. "Propelling - ties to new levels. Wide-ranging talks between PM @narendramodi and PM Pham Minh Chinh of Vietnam," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) tweeted. "Leaders discussed expanding cooperation in the fields of trade and investment, defence, building resilient supply chains, energy, science & technology, human resource development, culture & people to people ties," it said. Talks also covered regional developments as well as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, it added. ASEAN nations include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The .

Commerce Ministry to hold Chintan Shivir to discuss ways to promote trade

The Commerce and Industry Ministry will hold a two-day Chintan Shivir to discuss ways to promote manufacturing trade, investments, startups, logistics and import substitution, among others, an official said on Thursday. On May 19, the Department of Commerce will be holding a series of sessions on issues such as team building; expediting trade and investment promotion efforts; export strategy on goods and services; import substitution, reducing sub-standard imports and promoting manufacturing through PLI (production linked incentive). Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, Ministers of State for Commerce and Industry Som Parkash and Anupriya Patel will address the ministry officials. On May 20, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) will hold sessions on subjects like innovate in India (startups and intellectual property rights) and the future-ready logistics sector, the official said. India's exports contracted by 12.7 per cent, the third month in

India's exports fall 12.7% in April; trade deficit at 20-month low

Demand scenario not 'very optimistic': DGFT

India's April merchandise and services trade deficit at 21-month low

April merchandise exports were $34.66 billion, down from $38.38 billion in March, while imports fell to $49.90 billion from $58.11 billion, data showed

India, EFTA trade pact to boost commerce, investment, job creation

A free trade agreement between India and four-nation bloc EFTA will help enhance two-way commerce, investment flows, job creation and economic growth, an official statement said on Monday. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, who is in Brussels, has discussed modalities of engagement for working towards a comprehensive Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) with representatives of European Free Trade Association (EFTA) states - Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. On April 26 here, both sides discussed ways to resume negotiations for the agreement. India and the EFTA statesdiscussed the modalities of engagement for working towards a comprehensive TEPA, a press communique issued after conclusion of the talks said. It said the delegations agreed to ramp up their efforts and continue discussions at a steady pace, with several more meetings planned over the coming months, to arrive at a common understanding on critical issues pertaining to TEPA. Both si