Silvassa industries get roadmap to leverage free trade agreements

A special workshop was organised in Silvassa with the objective of helping exporters, manufacturers and MSMEs of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu convert market opportunities available under the Government of India's Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) into actual export orders. According to a PIB Ahmedabad report, a union territory-level workshop was held under the "Leveraging FTAs – Outreach Programme" organised at Kala Kendra, Silvassa.

This programme was organised in coordination with the Ministry of Commerce and the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). The programme received support from the Silvassa Industries and Manufacturers Association (SIMA) and other local industry bodies, while it was managed by the Department of Industries of DNH&DD. Approximately 80 participants from industry, export promotion councils, banks and government departments attended this workshop.

This outreach programme is part of a nationwide drive. This campaign was launched following a call given by Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Shri Piyush Goyal at a national workshop in New Delhi on 3 September 2026. The objective of this campaign is to reach FTA awareness to all 780 districts of the country, including small traders, start-ups and women entrepreneurs.

The programme was inaugurated by Collector of Dadra and Nagar Haveli Shri Priyank Kishore, IAS. Senior Economic Adviser of the Department of Commerce Shri Agrim Kaushik, IES was also present on this occasion. Addressing the gathering, Collector Shri Priyank Kishore stated that India's growing network of trade agreements provides a strong opportunity to increase exports for the industrial belt of Silvassa, Dadra and Daman. He urged MSMEs, in particular, to make full use of the reduced and zero-duty access available in partner markets.

Senior Economic Adviser of the Department of Commerce Shri Agrim Kaushik stated that the main purpose of this effort is to enhance India's export competitiveness, diversify export markets and facilitate market access for Indian exporters. The ultimate goal of these efforts is to achieve India's comprehensive export target of $2 trillion by 2030–31, which includes $1 trillion of merchandise exports and $1 trillion of services exports.

During the workshop, participants were provided information about India's recent agreements. These include the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement which came into effect from 15 July 2026, the India-Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement which came into effect from 1 June 2026 and the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement which came into effect from 20 October 2026. In addition, information was also given about previous agreements such as India-UAE CEPA, India-Australia ECTA and India-EFTA TEPA.

Additional DGFT, Mumbai DGFT and Department of Commerce officials explained to exporters how to identify tariff concessions, rules of origin and how to obtain online certificates through DGFT's digital platform. Guidance was also provided on documentation, record-keeping, quality standards and opportunities for key industries such as textiles, plastics, chemicals and engineering goods.

During the interactive session, exporters raised issues such as rising freight costs, logistical challenges and connectivity with the African market. Officials assured that this feedback would be conveyed to the Department of Commerce so that FTA utilisation could be improved. Notably, India's merchandise and services exports for April-September 2026-27 are estimated at $476.20 billion, which is 13.84% higher than the same period last year.