More Stories

Informist, Monday, May 11, 2026

 

--Trade secy: Need to leverage FTAs better 
--Trade secy: Need industry policy complementing FTAs

 

NEW DELHI – Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal Monday urged domestic companies to leverage the free trade agreements signed by India and focus on meeting global quality standards. "We have made an effort to see that we go beyond tariffs. We give a wide 360-degree predictability and visibility to our industries on both sides to see that they can actually leverage these FTAs and create pathways which will lead to more sustainable growth," Agarwal said, addressing the Annual Business Summit 2026, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry.

 

Commerce secretary's comments come a week after Chief Economic Adviser V. Anantha Nageswaran flagged that the utilisation of free trade agreements by domestic companies is very poor compared to other countries. "The industry associations and bodies have to do a much better job of talking about them (FTAs)," he had said.

 

He said it is important that the government and industry disseminate information and educate companies about the advantages of trade agreements, reaching a broader pool of companies so they can actually utilise the benefits. "The potential that it creates... needs to be leveraged. And for that, the industry will have to walk the talk, maybe consumers will have to walk the talk, everybody has to contribute, all stakeholders," Nageswaran had said.

 

Agarwal said that the government and industry need to build the right infrastructure to foster a strong industrial ecosystem. "We will have to bring in industrial policies, which are complementing our trade policies. They cannot run in two different directions," he said.  End

 

Reported by Sagar Sen

Edited by Saji George Titus

 

For users of real-time market data terminals, Informist news is available exclusively on the NSE Cogencis WorkStation.

 

Cogencis news is now Informist news. This follows the acquisition of Cogencis Information Services Ltd. by NSE Data & Analytics Ltd., a 100% subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange of India Ltd. As a part of the transaction, the news department of Cogencis has been sold to Informist Media Pvt. Ltd.

 

Informist Media Tel +91 (11) 4220-1000

Send comments to feedback@informistmedia.com

 

© Informist Media Pvt. Ltd. 2026. All rights reserved.