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Informist, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026

 

--Trade official: Expect India-New Zealand FTA to come into force next month

 

NEW DELHI – The free trade agreement between India and New Zealand is expected to come into force next month, a senior trade official said. "It (India-New Zealand FTA) should be effective soon. Most likely next month itself," the official said. 
 

Earlier in the day, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said that the FTA between India and New Zealand will be live soon, following which the FTA with the European Union will come into force. India and the EU had concluded the trade deal in January, while the FTA with New Zealand was signed in April. 

 

The FTA with New Zealand provides zero-duty access for 100% of Indian goods across more than 8,200 tariff lines. India has opened market access on roughly 70% of its tariff lines while protecting sensitive domestic sectors.

 

The total bilateral trade between India and New Zealand was $1.16 billion in 2025-26 (Apr-Mar), with India exporting goods worth $566.51 million and importing goods worth $590 million.

 

Separately, the official said that India and China's trade ministers will hold bilateral trade talks on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi this month. The official said the two nations may discuss trade-related issues in the meeting, without divulging details. 

 

Total bilateral trade between India and China was $151.10 billion in FY26, with India exporting goods worth $19.47 billion and importing a whopping $131.62 billion worth of goods, resulting in a trade deficit of $112.15 billion.

 

Further, the official said that India will hold discussions with the US on the bilateral trade agreement on the sidelines of the G20 meeting this month. "The talks on the sidelines are usually customary, but I hope there will be productive conversations," the official said. 

 

Earlier in the day, Goyal said India will finalise and announce details of the bilateral trade agreement with the US as soon as Washington gives the country preferential treatment compared to its peers. End

 

US$1 = INR 94.49

 

Reported by Pratiksha and Radhika Tiwari

Edited by Akul Nishant Akhoury and Saji George Titus

 

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