UK FTA calls for standards upgrade: Experts

New Delhi: Indian exporters will have to upgrade product standards and align their goods with British regulatory requirements to take full advantage of the India-UK free trade agreement, which will come into effect from July 15, according to experts.

They also said that the government should conduct an outreach programme in different parts of India to inform the domestic industry about the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the two countries.

The UK's Department for Business and Trade has already launched a nationwide free trade agreement roadshow this week across six cities to prepare British businesses for the agreement's entry into force.


"A comparable effort is needed on the Indian side, with CETA-specific outreach export-readiness programmes in manufacturing clusters across the country that can help businesses convert the agreement's potential into actual commercial activity," law firm SAM & Co Partner Rudra Kumar Pandey said.

He added that Indian exporters will need to upgrade product standards and align with UK regulatory requirements to become reliable supply chain partners, not just one-off suppliers.