India and New Zealand resume Free Commerce Settlement Talks after 10 years

After almost a decade, India and New Zealand have determined to restart talks on a free commerce settlement to strengthen financial ties. The discussions initially started in April 2010 below the Complete Financial Cooperation Settlement (CECA) to enhance commerce in items, providers, and funding. Nevertheless, after 9 rounds of negotiations, the talks got here to a halt in 2015.

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is on a four-day go to to India from March 16. The objective of the India-New Zealand Free Commerce Settlement (FTA) is to create a good deal that strengthens provide chains and improves commerce alternatives for each nations.

India and New Zealand have formally restarted talks for a Free Commerce Settlement (FTA) aimed toward benefiting each nations, in line with the Commerce Ministry. The announcement got here after a gathering between India’s Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and New Zealand’s Commerce Minister Todd McClay.

Fantastic to fulfill my pal, Mr. Todd McClay, New Zealand’s Commerce Minister.

We’re delighted to announce the launch of India-New Zealand Free Commerce Settlement (FTA) negotiations. This marks a major milestone in our partnership, reflecting our shared imaginative and prescient to deepen commerce… pic.twitter.com/d4WkV7fVWg

— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) March 16, 2025

India and New Zealand’s commerce has been rising steadily, crossing $1 billion between April and January 2025. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal mentioned that the Free Commerce Settlement (FTA) talks goal to create new enterprise alternatives and profit customers, serving to each nations develop collectively.

In accordance with the International Commerce Analysis Initiative (GTRI), India’s Free Commerce Settlement (FTA) with New Zealand might not profit Indian firms a lot. It is because many Indian items already enter the New Zealand market with out import duties.

New Zealand’s common import tariff is simply 2.3 per cent, in comparison with India’s 17.8 per cent, it has mentioned. The bilateral commerce between the 2 nations stood at $873.4 million (exports $538.33 million and imports $335 million) in 2023-24 as towards $1.02 billion in 2022-23.

The GTRI report has mentioned that 58.3 per cent of New Zealand’s tariff traces (or product classes) are duty-free, that means Indian merchandise already get pleasure from essential entry and not using a commerce pact within the New Zealand market.

The Indian diaspora in New Zealand, with over 250,000 individuals of Indian origin, gives a robust cultural hyperlink that can be utilized to strengthen commerce relations.
India’s main items exports to New Zealand embody clothes, materials, and residential textiles; medicines and medical provides; refined petrol; agricultural tools and equipment reminiscent of tractors and irrigation instruments; auto; iron and metal; paper merchandise; electronics; shrimps; diamonds; and basmati rice. 

The principle imports are agricultural items, minerals, apples, kiwifruit, meat merchandise reminiscent of lamb, mutton, milk albumin, lactose syrup, coking coal, logs and sawn timber, wool, and scrap metals.

In accordance with commerce consultants, the tough level within the talks could be obligation concessions in agri merchandise like apple, kiwi, dairy, and wine. India has not but given any necessary concession in dairy to any of its different FTA companions, together with Singapore, Japan, South Korea, and the ASEAN.