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Informist, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026

 

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--Trade secy: Window of opportunity to leverage FTAs is finite
--CONTEXT: Trade Secy Agarwal's comments at workshop on FTA leveraging 
--Trade Secy: Indian markets need to build risk capacity to compete globally 
--Trade secy: States need to ensure export-led production competent 
--Trade secy: State policy shouldn't burden manufacturers 

 

NEW DELHI – The window of opportunity to leverage the free trade agreements that India is signing with other countries is not for an infinite duration and must be used effectively, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal said Thursday.

 

"The window of opportunity is limited," Agrawal said at an outreach workshop in New Delhi on leveraging the agreements. "It is for a period of time, because our competitors also at some point in time will do these FTAs. And they will also get similar benefits in that market. There will be pressure on our competitors also to negotiate these FTAs."

 

If India uses this time window of 5-10 years to actually create new supply chains, the country will be able to actually translate these FTAs into action, he added.

 

India has steadily expanded its network of free trade agreements over the past few years, reaching nine FTAs spanning 38 countries. The secretary highlighted the benefits of FTAs across fields, such as labour-intensive and agricultural goods. He said India can create new supply chains by increasing its exports to the developed markets and geographies, thus catalysing economic growth. 
 
He said India has more than 12,000 tarrif lines, most of which will be touched in one way or the other by the FTAs it has signed with other countries. These FTAs put India at a vantage point in terms of tariffs in developed markets, the secretary said, adding that the size of these developed markets is approximately $10.4 trillion as compared to markets worth $5 trillion that India had tried to export to in the past.

 

"These are paying markets, but we need to ensure that we give a quality signal to these markets," Agrawal said. "Without quality, it will be very difficult to access these markets on a normal level." He called upon the industry to work on its comparative strengths and to create supply chains that are sustained.

 

The secretary further said India needs to create sustainable supply chains by identifying competitive sectors and enhancing its comparative strengths. He said that once a product category is identified and manufactured, it will become easier to connect global markets through exports. The secretary further cautioned the states of export-led production competitiveness, adding that it is important to ensure that state policies do not burden manufacturing.  End

 

US$1 = INR 94.48

 

Reported by Pratiksha and Radhika Tiwari

Edited by Rajeev Pai

 

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