Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal has urged the exporters and industry bodies to fully leverage India’s Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with developed economies to expand market access, boost exports and create employment opportunities, noting that timely utilisation of these agreements is critical.
Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal addresses a press conference in New Delhi on India-US trade deal
Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal has urged the exporters and industry bodies to fully leverage India’s Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with developed economies to expand market access, boost exports and create employment opportunities, noting that timely utilisation of these agreements is critical.
Goyal chaired a meeting with Export Promotion Councils (EPCs) and industry associations on Tuesday where he highlighted that India’s total merchandise and services exports reached a record USD 860.09 billion in FY 2025–26, registering a 4.22% year-on-year growth.
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The minister noted that sectors such as engineering goods, electronics, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, gems & jewellery and agri-based products have sustained export momentum despite global disruptions.
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He emphasised that this milestone should serve as a springboard for achieving USD 2 trillion in exports by 2030 under the Viksit Bharat vision.
Goyal’s remarks came after India and New Zealand signed the India- New Zealand Free Trade Agreement giving duty-free access, and a commitment of $20 billion investment between both the countries.
During the meeting, Tthe Minister assured continued Government support, including facilitation under ongoing schemes and targeted interventions to reduce entry barriers and enhance ease of doing business.
The Director General of Foreign Trade alo made a detailed presentation on export performance, ongoing reforms and a structured framework for achieving measurable export outcomes.
The presentation outlined a comprehensive export reform framework covering sectoral export performance, a KPI-based framework for EPCs, promotion of e-commerce exports, Districts as Export Hubs, the proposed Digital Trade Academy, the Government’s response to the West Asia crisis, progress under the Export Promotion Mission, and the ongoing special drive for expediting the Export Obligation Discharge Certificate (EODC).
The DGFT stressed that EPCs must act as equal partners with the Government in driving market diversification, bringing more MSMEs into the export ecosystem, greater use of technology, and ensuring that policy measures translate into measurable outcomes at the national level.
Industry representatives raised issues relating to compliance costs, testing requirements, and challenges faced by MSMEs in entering export markets.
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