Free Trade Agreements

Who will India trade with?

Regional consolidation of trade may leave India out in the cold

India, European Union speed up work on free trade agreement negotiations

The fifth round of negotiations will be held in New Delhi from June 19-23, 2023

India's exports growth momentum will have to come from its states

They can utilise opportunities for greater market access generated by free trade agreements

LIVE: Country, citizens are priority for BJP, says PM Modi

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India-UK FTA can deliver practical biz benefits in both countries: Cleverly

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said that UK and India, must work closely together to contribute to the world's economic security and prosperity

Handing over of Haifa Port to Adani, a reflection of trust: Israeli Envoy

Israel's handing over of the strategic port of Haifa to Indian company, the Adani Group, is a reflection of the trust that the country has on India, Israeli Ambassador Naor Gilon said on Wednesday. At a media briefing, the envoy also said that both India and Israel are keen on finalising the proposed free trade pact as it could further boost overall bilateral trade ties. Gilon indicated that there could be a forward movement on the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) during the upcoming "high-level" visit. Describing defence ties between the two countries as very strong, he said Israel has an advantage to support India in its efforts to become self reliant in defence manufacturing because of the "long-standing" trust in the area between the two countries. On the Adani Group acquiring the Haifa port last month, Gilon said it was sign of Israel's trust on India and it could boost bilateral trade. It was a very important move from our side as Haifa is a strategic port, he said. The Adani Grou

Budget 2023: Many PLI schemes are in the pipeline, says Piyush Goyal

As and when other PLI schemes get approved, the cabinet is empowered to approve it

High-quality FTA with India a priority this year, says UK trade minister

Britain's trade minister in charge of negotiating a free trade agreement (FTA) with India says clinching a high-quality deal is among her top priorities for the year, while admitting the talks had hit a "bit of an impasse which she broke by flying to New Delhi last month. In a speech addressing business leaders at Lancaster House in London on Tuesday, UK Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch insisted the FTA talks are now back on track. It comes after the Diwali 2022 deadline for the FTA set by former prime minister Boris Johnson was missed last October amid political turmoil in Britain. "Some of you will know I was a software engineer and a systems analyst before I became a politician. That means I'm a problem solver at heart, said Badenoch. "So when our Indian trade talks hit a bit of an impasse, I didn't pick up the phone, I got on a plane. That deal's not done yet, but it's back on track, she said. Badenoch was in New Delhi in early December to hold talks with her counterpart, Commerce

Impasse broken to get India FTA talks back on track, says UK trade minister

Britain's trade minister in charge of negotiating a free trade agreement (FTA) with India on Tuesday admitted the talks had hit a "bit of an impasse, which she broke by flying to New Delhi last month. UK Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch said the deal is now "back on track", in an apparent reference to the Diwali 2022 deadline for the FTA set by former prime minister Boris Johnson being missed last October amid political turmoil in Britain. Addressing Lancaster House in London in a speech laying out her Top five priorities for trade", the minister insisted that she was a problem solver at heart and is confident a "high quality" deal will be struck with India. "Some of you will know I was a software engineer and a systems analyst before I became a politician. That means I'm a problem solver at heart," Badenoch told the business gathering. "So when our Indian trade talks hit a bit of an impasse, I didn't pick up the phone, I got on a plane. That deal's not done yet, but it's back on trac

Won't allow sensitive issues to scuttle India-UK trade talks: Piyush Goyal

"With Canada, while they are also not much of a manufacturing base, we have to go into more details. With the UK, it's a manufacturing country on many products. So we have to do it very carefully"

US agriculture associations fear market loss to India's FTA partners

In June 2019, India hiked tariffs on 28 items exported by the US, including almonds, apples, walnuts

India's ongoing FTA negotiations with EU, UK are on track: Govt official

All these issues require a lot of unanimity among the negotiating countries and these talks are complex exercises

FTA will act as catalyst to fulfill huge trade potential with India: Israel

Bernstein-Reich, who also holds the position of Chairperson of the Israel-India and Sri Lanka Chambers within the Israel-Asia Chamber, will continue in that role

India, US 'thinking big', says Goyal, rules out mini trade deal or FTA

The Modi government and the Biden administration are "thinking big" in terms of their trade and commerce relationship, a top Indian official said Wednesday as he ruled out the previously talked about mini trade deal or a free trade agreement and noted that revoking of GSP is not a priority for New Delhi. The previous Trump administration has revoked the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) from India. The GSP allows eligible developing countries to export duty-free goods to the US. It is during the previous administration as well that the two countries were on the verge of a mini trade deal, which has now been kicked out of the table. The Biden administration is also not in favour of a free trade agreement which businesses from either side are now talking about. "I think in terms of GSP, I have not heard any significant clamour from the Indian industry. To focus our energies on the GSP issue, I have raised it today with my counterparts," Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyus

India can tap Switzerland's innovation with FTA, says Ralf Heckner

The objective of the Swiss government when it comes to the Swiss financial centre is twofold - sustainability and that all countries should adhere to the same international standards

India-Australia trade agreement to greatly benefit MSMEs: Piyush Goyal

The interim pact between India and Australia, also known as Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA), has the potential to double bilateral trade to $50 billion in half a decade

Australia FTA: Wine industry gears up for foreign market's entry in India

The duty cut regime on Australian wine under the recent trade agreement strikes a balance between protecting the domestic industry and opening the path for greater investments and tie-ups

India's push for free trade negotiations: A status check of ongoing deals

Take a look at the status of the ongoing FTA negotiations by India

India has signed 13 FTAs, 6 preferential pacts so far, says union minister

India has signed 13 free trade agreements (FTAs) and six preferential pacts so far with its trading partners for ensuring greater market access for domestic goods and promoting exports, Union minister Anupriya Patel said on Wednesday. The country has recently signed three such agreements with Mauritius, the UAE and Australia. Further, India is also actively engaged in FTA negotiations with some of its trading partners including the UK, European Union and Canada. Trade negotiations with partner countries is a dynamic and continuous process for obtaining better market access for India's exports and other business opportunities, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Anupriya Patel said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. "India has so far signed 13 Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and six Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs) with its trading partners for preferential access for its products," she said. In a separate reply, the minister said that six rounds of negotiations have bee

India will aim to achieve $100 bn export target for textiles by 2030: Goyal

Citing the case of the FTA negotiations with the United Kingdom, Goyal said the country had a 9 per cent duty on different items and if that goes away, it will benefit the sector, he said