India-UK FTA to boost exports across apparel, electronics, pharma and jewellery: Industry leaders
New Delhi, July 15
The India-UK Free Trade Agreement is expected to significantly boost bilateral trade by removing tariffs on a wide range of goods, with industry leaders expecting strong gains across apparel, electronics, engineering goods, pharmaceuticals, handicrafts and gems and jewellery.
Speaking with ANI, Vipin Vohra, Chairman of Continental Carriers Group of Companies said the trade pact would transform trade between the two countries by creating new opportunities across multiple sectors.
"It is going to change the whole scene for exports and imports between India and the UK. It will be beneficial for garments, handicrafts, pharma, gems and jewellery. Everyone is positive that this will increase exports manifold," he said.
Vohra also called for enhanced air and maritime connectivity, urging both governments to increase landing rights and facilitate more direct flights and shipping services to support the expected rise in trade volumes.
"There should be more flights incoming and outgoing between the two countries. The governments should look into giving more landing rights between the two countries so that there will be more and more flights and more ships going directly to the UK and also to India," he added.
On the other hand, Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) Chairman Sakthivel described the agreement as a historic milestone for India's apparel sector, which has maintained long-standing trade ties with the UK. "It is a historical moment for apparels as India has a very long relationship with UK buyers. UK buyers were waiting for the opportunity...they started looking for us and they're already exploring the factories."
Gurmeet Singh, CEO and Executive Director of the Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC), said the agreement would strengthen India's electronics and technology exports while deepening integration into global supply chains.
"It will help our country not only to export our electronic products, electronic components, semiconductors, electronic sub-assemblies, but will also support exports in software like AI, FinTech, and also analytic-led digital services," he said.
He added that the agreement would enable UK manufacturers to integrate Indian electronic components and sub-assemblies into their products, benefiting both economies.
"We'll be able to integrate in the global supply chain, including to the UK," he added.
— ANI
Reader Comments
As someone who works in the apparel export sector, this is a big deal. The UK buyers have always preferred Indian textiles for quality, but duties were killing margins. Now we can compete with Bangladesh and Vietnam on price. Let's hope the MSMEs actually benefit and not just the big players.
Interesting times. As a UK-based importer, we've been sourcing from India for years but the paperwork and tariffs were complex. This should streamline everything. The electronics and AI angle is particularly exciting - India's tech talent combined with UK's innovation could be powerful. I hope both sides move quickly on implementation.
Good for exports, but what about our domestic market? We keep signing FTAs without proper safeguards for small industries. The gems and jewellery sector in Jaipur is run by artisans - will they be able to compete with UK standards? Hope the government has negotiated protection clauses for vulnerable sectors.
🚀 This is massive for Indian pharma! The UK is a gateway to Europe and if we can establish trust there, it opens doors for generic medicines worldwide. But we need to ensure quality control - no room for shortcuts. Also, the connectivity point is spot on - better flights between Delhi-London, Mumbai-London would boost business travel.
Let's be real - FTAs work best when both sides have strong manufacturing. India is in a good position with our diverse industrial base. The handicrafts sector especially will benefit - our artisans make world-class products but were priced out due to duties. Hope this FTA also addresses intellectual property issues in software and design.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.