Labour-intensive sectors remain key priority in India’s FTA negotiations
India recorded highest-ever exports in FY 2025-26 reaching a record US$863.1 billion, with merchandise exports reaching US$441.8 billion and services exports expanding further to US$421.3 billion, reflecting the combined strength of India’s merchandise and services sectors in driving export growth.
Updating Lok Sabah on India’s growing trade, Minister of State for Ministry of Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada said on 28 July, “The Government monitors utilisation of preferential tariff benefits under newly operationalised trade agreements (signed post 2021) through Certificates of Origin and partner-country trade data.”
India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA): Since its entry into force on 1st May 2022, 4.45 lakh Certificates of Origin have been issued, reflecting robust utilisation of tariff concessions by Indian exporters. Further, the number of tariff lines at the HS 8-digit level exported to the UAE increased from 7,546 in FY 2021-22 (pre-CEPA) to 8,053 in FY 2025-26, with exports across these tariff lines valued at US$37.3 billion. This represents an increase of 507 tariff lines (6.7%), indicating greater export diversification and deeper market penetration in the UAE market following the implementation of CEPA, the Minister said in a written reply to the house.
India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA): Since its entry into force in December 2022, 2.73 lakh Certificates of Origin have been issued. Prior to ECTA, only 1,482 Certificate of Origin were issued in FY 2020-21. Following implementation of the Agreement, Certificate of Origin issuance increased significantly, with an average of approximately 45,527 Certificate of Origin issued annually. In FY 2021-22, 5396 tariff lines at HS 8 level and after FTA in FY 2025-26, 5668 tariff lines at HS 8 level valuing US$7.2 billion. This represents an increase of 272 tariff lines, indicating greater export diversification and expanded market access following the implementation of ECTA.
India-Mauritius Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA): The CECPA entered into force on 1 April 2021. The Agreement provides preferential market access for 310 Indian product lines in Mauritius and covers goods, services, Rules of Origin, customs procedures and economic cooperation. Indian exporters have availed preferential tariff benefits through the issuance of 1,956 Certificates of Origin under the Agreement. Further, the number of tariff lines at the HS 8-digit level exported to Mauritius increased from 3,593 in FY 2021-22 (pre-CECPA) to 4,345 in FY 2025-26, with exports across these tariff lines valued at approximately US$473 million. This represents an increase of 752 tariff lines (20.9%), indicating greater export diversification and expanded market access following the implementation of CECPA.
India–Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA): CEPA grants duty-free access to 99.38% of India’s exports to Oman by value, covering 98.08% of Oman’s tariff lines, making it one of India’s most comprehensive market access outcomes in the Gulf region. Since its entry into force on 1 June 2026, 783 Certificates of Origin have been issued. Further, the number of tariff lines at the HS 8-digit level exported to Oman increased from 2,879 in May 2026 to 3,371 in June 2026. Exports across these tariff lines stood at US$622.8 million in June 2026, compared to US$402.7 million in May 2026 (month-on-month growth of 54.7%) and US$215.1 million in June 2025 (year-on-year growth of 189.6%), indicating enhanced market access and export diversification following the implementation of the Agreement.
India EFTA-TEPA: Under TEPA, EFTA has offered 92.2% of tariff lines encompassing 99.6% of India’s exports. Includes 100% of non-agricultural products and tariff concessions on Processed Agricultural Products (PAP). Since its entry into force in October 2025, 7885 Certificates of Origin have been issued reflecting impressive utilisation of tariff concessions by Indian exporters.
The labour-intensive sectors have remained a key priority in India’s recent FTA negotiations. Agreements concluded with the UAE, Australia, the United Kingdom, Oman, New Zealand and EFTA have secured improved market access while adopting a calibrated approach to safeguard sensitive domestic sectors. Collectively, these agreements provide preferential access to a substantial share of partner-country tariff lines, for instance, 99% of Indian exports to the UK, 97% of EU tariff lines covering about 99.5% of bilateral trade value, 100% duty-free access for Indian exports to New Zealand, 98% of Oman’s tariff lines, and 99.6% of tariff lines under the India–EFTA TEPA. These agreements provide significant export opportunities for labour-intensive sectors such as textiles & apparel, leather & footwear, gems & jewellery, marine products, carpets, handicrafts and agricultural products, while preserving adequate policy space for sensitive domestic sectors through calibrated tariff liberalisation and transition arrangements. This balanced approach seeks to promote employment-intensive exports, strengthen domestic manufacturing competitiveness and deepen India’s integration into global value chains.
The Government has established a comprehensive framework to monitor export performance across sectors, including labor-intensive segments, through a whole-of-Government approach involving all stakeholders – the Department of Commerce, Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Export Promotion Councils (EPCs), Commodity Boards, line Ministries, State Governments including districts and Indian Missions abroad.
The Department of Commerce has also significantly strengthened trade facilitation and trade intelligence platforms such as Trade e-Connect and the Trade Intelligence and Analytics (TIA) Portal. Trade e-Connect serves as a comprehensive exporter facilitation platform, integrating market intelligence, tariff information, non-tariff barriers, Rules of Origin guidance, buyer-seller information, trade events, country and product guides, and FTA-related advisory services to help exporters identify opportunities and effectively utilise preferential market access under India’s FTAs.
The platform also facilitates engagement between exporters, Indian Missions abroad and relevant government agencies, thereby reducing information asymmetries and improving access to international markets. The TIA Portal complements these efforts by providing extensive trade analytics, commodity-level data, partner-country information and interactive dashboards to support data-driven policymaking and real-time monitoring of export performance. Fiinews.com
