<p>New Delhi: An interim trade agreement between India and the US is likely to be signed next month and would be operationalised by April, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said on Friday.</p><p>Trade deals with the UK and Oman, which were announced recently, are also likely to become operational from April, while the New Zealand deal is likely to be operationalised from September.</p><p>On the free trade deal with the EU, Goyal said that all 27 member countries are eager to implement the deal as soon as possible.</p><p>Chief negotiators from India and the US are scheduled to hold a series of meetings to finalise the legal text of the trade deal, which was announced earlier this month, following a phone call between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump.</p><p>Joint Secretary in the Department of Commerce Darpan Jain, who is the chief negotiator from the Indian side, is scheduled to visit Washington from February 23. The team will be in the US till the end of next week.</p><p>US Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer may visit New Delhi in March to sign the agreement.</p><p>Speaking at an event at the AI Impact Summit, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said the India-US trade deal would be signed very soon. “In fact, even this week, we have both teams talking to each other and actively getting to a place where both will be able to sign,” he said.</p>.India-US trade pact to open $30 trillion market for Indian exporters: Goyal.<p>“We are thrilled that the interim deal is done. You have a few tweaking points that are left to do, but it’s done. So the signing will happen sooner than later,” Gor added.</p><p>Meanwhile, the Centre on Friday launched seven more interventions under the Rs 25,060-crore Export Promotion Mission to boost the country’s outbound shipments.</p><p>Goyal urged exporters, especially MSMEs to take advantage of the scheme. He said India’s expanding network of FTAs has significantly enhanced market access for Indian exporters. The minister noted that nearly 70% of global GDP and two-thirds of global trade are now accessible to Indian exporters through nine concluded FTAs. These agreements provide preferential access across sectors in 38 developed and emerging economies, the minister said.</p><p>The new interventions announced under the Export Promotion Mission include support for alternative trade instruments (export factoring); credit assistance for ecommerce exporters and support for emerging export opportunities.</p><p>The Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) said the new interventions under the Export Promotion Mission (EPM) are structural steps towards enhancing MSME competitiveness and expanding India’s global market presence. It addresses the fundamental constraints that limit MSME export growth — high cost of credit, limited access to diversified trade finance, compliance burdens, logistics inefficiencies, and information gaps, said FIEO President SC Ralhan. </p>
<p>New Delhi: An interim trade agreement between India and the US is likely to be signed next month and would be operationalised by April, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said on Friday.</p><p>Trade deals with the UK and Oman, which were announced recently, are also likely to become operational from April, while the New Zealand deal is likely to be operationalised from September.</p><p>On the free trade deal with the EU, Goyal said that all 27 member countries are eager to implement the deal as soon as possible.</p><p>Chief negotiators from India and the US are scheduled to hold a series of meetings to finalise the legal text of the trade deal, which was announced earlier this month, following a phone call between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump.</p><p>Joint Secretary in the Department of Commerce Darpan Jain, who is the chief negotiator from the Indian side, is scheduled to visit Washington from February 23. The team will be in the US till the end of next week.</p><p>US Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer may visit New Delhi in March to sign the agreement.</p><p>Speaking at an event at the AI Impact Summit, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said the India-US trade deal would be signed very soon. “In fact, even this week, we have both teams talking to each other and actively getting to a place where both will be able to sign,” he said.</p>.India-US trade pact to open $30 trillion market for Indian exporters: Goyal.<p>“We are thrilled that the interim deal is done. You have a few tweaking points that are left to do, but it’s done. So the signing will happen sooner than later,” Gor added.</p><p>Meanwhile, the Centre on Friday launched seven more interventions under the Rs 25,060-crore Export Promotion Mission to boost the country’s outbound shipments.</p><p>Goyal urged exporters, especially MSMEs to take advantage of the scheme. He said India’s expanding network of FTAs has significantly enhanced market access for Indian exporters. The minister noted that nearly 70% of global GDP and two-thirds of global trade are now accessible to Indian exporters through nine concluded FTAs. These agreements provide preferential access across sectors in 38 developed and emerging economies, the minister said.</p><p>The new interventions announced under the Export Promotion Mission include support for alternative trade instruments (export factoring); credit assistance for ecommerce exporters and support for emerging export opportunities.</p><p>The Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) said the new interventions under the Export Promotion Mission (EPM) are structural steps towards enhancing MSME competitiveness and expanding India’s global market presence. It addresses the fundamental constraints that limit MSME export growth — high cost of credit, limited access to diversified trade finance, compliance burdens, logistics inefficiencies, and information gaps, said FIEO President SC Ralhan. </p>