Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has called for a nationwide campaign to ensure that Indian businesses make greater use of the country’s expanding network of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). Speaking at a national workshop on leveraging FTAs in New Delhi, Goyal said the benefits of preferential market access must reach businesses at the grassroots, including MSMEs, startups, traders, first-time exporters and women entrepreneurs across all 780 districts. He said wider FTA utilisation would be critical to expanding India’s global trade footprint and supporting the country’s long-term ambition of becoming a $30 trillion economy by 2047.
The Minister pointed to India’s recent economic performance, including 7.8% GDP growth in the first quarter, as evidence of the economy’s resilience amid global uncertainty. He said India’s nine existing FTAs cover economies accounting for around $60 trillion in GDP and offer preferential access to nearly two-thirds of global trade. With additional agreements and market-access initiatives under consideration, India could gain preferential access to about 75% of global trade at more competitive tariff rates, he said. Goyal stressed that the effectiveness of an FTA should ultimately be judged by how Indian exporters fare against competitors in the same markets.
India is targeting $1 trillion in exports this year, with exports touching nearly $317 billion during the first four months, up from about $280 billion in the same period last year. Goyal said sectors ranging from textiles and engineering to electronics, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, agriculture, marine products, gems and jewellery and leather have significant potential in international markets. He also called for stronger institutional support to help exporters overcome challenges related to standards, sanitary and technical requirements, regulatory approvals and logistics. The government, he said, must particularly ensure that smaller exporters are not left behind as new trade opportunities emerge.
Goyal also outlined a last-mile strategy to convert FTAs into actual export growth. States have been asked to identify products and clusters where FTA benefits are already visible as well as areas where opportunities remain untapped. He urged Export Promotion Councils and industry associations to expand their outreach to smaller businesses, provide information in local languages and bring more exporters into international trade delegations. The workshop also examined the Export Promotion Mission and Districts as Export Hubs, with state-level discussions focused on export clusters, barriers to FTA utilisation and required government support. The Centre said the broader effort aims to deepen Centre-State coordination and ensure the country’s trade agreements translate into jobs, foreign exchange earnings, and wider participation in global commerce.
