(HT)
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said negotiations for the proposed free trade agreements with the US and European Union (EU) are progressing at a fast pace and would be concluded soon.
All efforts are being made to boost exports to achieve the ambitious target of $2 trillion by 2030.
India has already signed free trade agreements with the UAE, Australia, and 4-nation EFTA (European Free Trade Association) bloc and negotiations have been completed with the UK, she said adding “with the US and the European Union, negotiations are really intensely going on and should come to conclusion sooner.”The emphasis now is on concluding more free trade agreements, she said while inaugurating Trade Conclave by India Exim Bank here.
She also mentioned Budget announcements of Export Promotion Mission and Bharat Trade Net, a digital public infrastructure which provides a unified platform for trade documentation and financing solutions.
The Budget also proposed a National Framework for Global Capability Centres (GCC) to further support services-led growth in emerging tier 2 cities and Trade Facilitation Measures. Referring to the country’s exports, the finance minister said total exports of goods and services reached a record high of USD 825 billion in FY25, achieving 6% growth over previous year. This is a significant leap from $466 billion in 2013–14.
While global exports grew by only 4%, India’s exporters managed to fast-track and cross growth of 6.3% despite global uncertainties on trade front, she said. Observing that exporters are “swimming against tides” , she assured all support to them and urged them to focus on innovation and finding newer markets for their products.
Quoting United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) World Investment Report 2025, she said, India’s position has improved though the global FDI flows dropped 11%.
FDI inflows of nearly $668 billion from 2014-24 account for nearly 67% of the total FDI reported in the last 24 years which was $991 billion, she said.
India has deepened its participation in global value chains, she said, adding, Apple India’s iPhone contract manufacturers have crossed the 20% domestic value addition (DVA) threshold across variants.
Speaking at the event, Financial Services Secretary M Nagaraju said India’s growth prospects remain bright even as the world economy is troubled by geopolitical uncertainties and significant headwinds emanating from it.
“Even amidst all the global headwinds, India continues to be a beacon of hope,” he said.
Nagaraju said that India’s exports, which the commerce ministry is “trying very hard” to integrate into the global value chain, are doing well irrespective of the challenges.
Exports from the pharmaceuticals and gems and jewellery sectors are showing resilience, he said adding in this endeavour, the finance ministry is committed to extending support through policy, schemes and financial aid.
