India and Australia — bridging the trade and trust barrier.
Is a comprehensive India-Australia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in the offing? With the Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong in India for the Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting, there is anticipation that a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) may be inked. This would expand the 2022 Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) that had opened 100% of the Australian market to India while India reciprocated with roughly 70% market access covering nearly 91% of trade value. Canberra has since been pushing for parity, both privately and publicly. Meanwhile the West Asia crisis has forced upon India — in the words of the Chief Economic Adviser — a 'balance of payments crisis stress test', making trade expansion and courting investments an urgent necessity for the country.
Source: thehindu.com
Qatar emerges as gateway for Indian mangoes amid APEDA’s sea-route push.
Qatar has become a crucial gateway for Indian mangoes, ranking seventh globally among importers, even as exporters face mounting logistical hurdles and regional competition. According to the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Qatar’s relatively flexible import standards have helped Indian mangoes secure a strong position in the Gulf market.
Source: gulf-times.com
GCC mango festival features 85 varieties and 3,200 tons of imports.
LuLu Mango Mania has launched across GCC stores, featuring more than 85 mango varieties sourced from India and other international markets. The festival was inaugurated by Dr. Deepak Mittal in the presence of Dr. Sudhanshu, Secretary of APEDA, along with officials and representatives from the agriculture and trade sectors.
Source: freshplaza.com
El Nino threat: Centre rolls out kharif contingency plan to shield crops.
The agriculture ministry has launched a contingency plan ahead of India's largest sowing season - focused on seed buffers, water management and district-level crop planning - as the country braces for a deficient monsoon. It has directed states to prepare district-wise crop strategies, and promote short-duration crops such as pulses, certain millets and vegetables during the kharif season because they require less water, mature quickly and help mitigate the vagaries of weather, said officials.
Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
Government allocates 8,606 tonnes of raw sugar exports to the US.
The government has allocated 8,606 tonnes of exports of raw cane sugar to the US under the quota-based tariff concession scheme. 'The quantity of 8606 MTRV (metric tonnes raw value) raw cane sugar to be exported to USA under TRQ scheme from 01.10.2025 to 30.09.2026 has been notified,' the DGFT has said in notification.
Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
India, US trade deal: Both countries looking at firming up pact soon.
India and the US are poised to soon firm up the much-awaited trade agreement that will be both 'beneficial' and 'sustainable' and will advance the mutual interests of both nations, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday while asserting that the overall bilateral ties are set to witness an upward trajectory. Rubio, currently on a four-day visit to India, made the remarks after holding wide-ranging talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar that focused on boosting two-way cooperation in areas of trade, critical minerals, energy and defence.
Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
Piyush Goyal to visit Canada next week with 150-member industry delegation; trade talks on agenda.
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will travel to Canada next week accompanied by a delegation of more than 150 business leaders, as New Delhi and Ottawa look to accelerate negotiations for a proposed free trade agreement and deepen investment ties, as per a TOI report. The visit, beginning May 25, comes amid renewed engagement between the two countries on a broader economic partnership after trade discussions resumed earlier this year.
Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
India should now focus on FTA implementation, utilisation by exporters: Experts.
India's next priority on the free trade agreement (FTA) front should be practical implementation and helping exporters use these pacts, as the gap between the negotiated and used market access remains the country's weakest link, experts say. They said that historically, India's FTA utilisation has hovered around 25 per cent, compared with 70-80 per cent in developed economies, and closing this gap is now the single highest-leverage trade policy reform available.
Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
The green strategic partnership: India and Norway chart a sustainable future.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Norway on May 18–19, 2026 — the first by an Indian Prime Minister in over four decades — marks a significant turning point in bilateral ties. The visit elevated relations into a Green Strategic Partnership, signalling a convergence between India’s scale, talent, and expanding market and Norway’s world-class capabilities in high-tech areas.
Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
Mixed trend in mandi prices of Rabi crops.
The average mandi (agriculture market yard) prices of two of main five Rabi crops – wheat, chana (gram), mustard, masur (lentil) and barley -- during the current main harvesting season that started in April and will continue until end of June, were ruling 4-5 per cent below their respective minimum support prices (MSPs) while three other crops reported up to 14 per cent higher than the benchmark government-set rates.
Source: thehindubusinessline.com