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India's recent trade agreements will create wider global market opportunities for farmers, metal producers and manufacturers in Arunachal Pradesh, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Friday, as the government seeks to connect producers from the northeastern state with international markets.
Highlighting the potential benefits of India's expanding network of trade agreements for the state, Goyal said, "Arunachal Pradesh's farmers, metal producers, and manufacturers just got a direct line to global markets, thanks to the 9 new trade deals inked under PM Narendra Modi ji." "The frontier state is now on the front line of Bharat's growth story," the minister said in a post on X. India has expanded its network of trade agreements in recent years, with nine agreements spanning 38 countries, according to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. These include trade agreements with Mauritius, the UAE, Australia, the four-member European Free Trade Association (EFTA), the UK, Oman, New Zealand and the European Union, along with the framework for an interim trade agreement with the United States. The agreements are aimed at providing Indian exporters preferential access to major global markets through lower tariffs and reduced trade barriers. The government has said its expanding FTA network is also intended to help diversify export markets amid changing global geopolitical and economic conditions. For Arunachal Pradesh, agriculture and horticulture are among the sectors with significant export potential. More than 70 per cent of the state's population is dependent on farming, while products such as kiwi, Arunachal Orange and Adi Kekir Ginger have been identified by the government as products with potential to become more competitive in domestic and international markets. Arunachal Pradesh is also India's largest kiwi-producing state, accounting for more than half of the country's production. The Centre has been working to strengthen the state's kiwi value chain, including cold-chain and post-harvest infrastructure, processing, branding, traceability and exports. The recently signed India-New Zealand FTA provides an example of the wider market access India is seeking through these agreements. Under the pact, New Zealand has committed to eliminate duties on 100 per cent of its tariff lines for Indian exports, while the agreement also places emphasis on creating opportunities for farmers, manufacturers and MSMEs. However, translating improved tariff access into higher exports from Arunachal Pradesh will also depend on strengthening processing, logistics and market linkages. The government's recently announced Arunachal Kiwi Mission, for instance, seeks to address gaps in cold-chain and post-harvest infrastructure and integrate farmers with domestic and international markets. (ANI)
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