Minister Anupriya Patel attends stakeholders' meet in Agra, promotes FTAs

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Jun 7, 2022

Uttar Pradesh’s Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Anupriya Patel stated that free trade agreements will help boost exports of garments, handicrafts, and textiles among others at a stakeholders' meet in Agra.

On June 6, Patel addressed attendees at the Department of Commerce’s stakeholders outreach programme on FTAs to discuss how to increase exports in the area. At the event, Patel said that the recent FTAs between India and the UAE and Australia will especially help businesses in the fashion and textiles industries as well as in industries including engineering products and agri processed items, the Economic Times reported. 

“India-UAE and Australia FTAs have been signed to facilitate the duty free access for exporters,” said Department of Commerce joint secretary Anant Swarup at the event, the Economic Times reported. Swarup said that duty-free access is one of the most important factors in making India’s exports competitive in the global market where the country competes with others including Vietnam, China, Thailand, and Bangladesh among others. 

The meet also included a presentation on FTAs by Department of Commerce joint secretary Srikar K Reddy and speech by the Council for Leather Exports’ chairman Sanjay Leekha. The CLE still has pending demands for the government pertaining to trade including the exemption of duties on imports of wet blue, crust, and finished leather, Leekha said at the event.