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CII Chief urges Indian businesses to capitalise on India-UK FTA opportunities
Sep-30-2026

Narayan Sethuramon, chair of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Trade Policy Council, has said that the implementation of the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) marks a great achievement in opening up markets and urged Indian businesses to capitalise on this ‘time-bound’ opportunity. 

During his UK and Europe tour last week, which coincided with the 12th anniversary of the Make in India initiative, Sethuramon highlighted the immense potential of the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), which entered its implementation phase in mid-July.  He said ‘it is very important that we all realise that this FTA opportunity is time-bound. It is not going to last forever.’ He said the government has done a great job by signing FTAs and opening international markets, but there's a need for industry also to respond at a certain pace and take advantage of the India-UK CETA norms.

The India-UK CETA was signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's UK visit in July 2025 and came into force on July 15, 2026. The FTA is expected to double the current annual bilateral trade levels of 47.9 billion pounds by FY30, unlocking substantial new opportunities for businesses in both markets through substantially lower or zero tariffs across major product segments.


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