Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement expands preferential market access, targeted investment promotion and services liberalisation under binding commitments.
The TEPA creates a comprehensive preferential framework covering market access for goods and services, rules of origin, trade facilitation, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, technical barriers, trade remedies, investment promotion and IPR. It includes EFTA commitments to promote targeted investments into India excluding portfolio flows and linked to direct employment, while India retains protections for specified sensitive sectors and preserves effective duties on certain imports. The pact further liberalises services modes, envisages mutual recognition in professional services, aligns IPR at TRIPS level and embeds sustainable development and trade procedural cooperation.

Gender-inclusive trade facilitation measures to boost women's participation and mandate safe, gender-sensitive workplace infrastructure and training.
CBIC directed field formations to ensure representation of women in trade facilitation committees, establish dedicated help desks and processing mechanisms for women traders and women logistics service providers, provide targeted training and upskilling for women in logistics and customs brokerage, and to implement safe, gender-inclusive workplace infrastructure and regular gender-sensitisation training for staff and stakeholders.

RoDTEP extension to advance authorisation, EOU and SEZ units boosts export competitiveness amid global headwinds.
Extension of the Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) Scheme to Advance Authorisation holders, Export Oriented Units and Special Economic Zone export units is notified, effective until 30.09.2024. The measure aims to refund embedded taxes and duties on exported products for these categories to improve export competitiveness. The scheme has been in operation since January 2021, supports items at the 8 digit ITC HS Code level, and operates within a specified budgetary allocation for the current financial year.

Agricultural export promotion: exposure visits and capacity-building created direct buyer links and strengthened FPO export readiness.
APEDA organised an exposure visit to the UAE for Purvanchal FPOs combining market visits, buyer engagement and follow-up capacity-building; this yielded immediate export leads including a fresh turmeric consignment, and the post-visit Varanasi program disseminated regulatory requirements, highlighted high-demand products, promoted Good Agricultural Practices, and reinforced enrolment and technical sensitisation of regional FPOs to strengthen export supply-chain compliance and market linkages.

Agricultural export promotion expands market access and mainstreams value-added millets under a targeted diversification strategy.
APEDA is implementing a diversification strategy to expand agricultural exports-focusing on fresh produce, processed foods and animal products-by partnering with global retailers, establishing sea logistics protocols to cut supply-chain costs, and mainstreaming value-added millet products under the Shree Anna brand. It supports startups, women entrepreneurs and Farmer Producer Organisations for international market participation and is initiating engagement in additional emerging-market fairs to broaden export access.

Export facilitation: sea trial shipment of Sangola pomegranates to US opens maritime trade route and strengthens quality assurance.
APEDA facilitated the first commercial sea trial shipment of Sangola pomegranates to the US after prior approval from an air shipment with irradiation treatment and a static sea trial with a national technical partner, enabling sign-off on sea transit phytosanitary and logistical conditions. The consignment, executed by an APEDA-registered exporter sourcing from registered Sangola farmers, reflects APEDA's interventions to resolve supply chain bottlenecks, promote Export Promotion Forums and enhance quality assurance to expand maritime market access and increase farmer premiums.

Electronic Cash Ledger payment enables multi bank online settlement for import duties on couriered goods, streamlining import payments.
Electronic Cash Ledger (ECL) is mandated as the mode of payment for import duties on goods arriving through International Courier terminals from 1 March 2024, enabling payments via multiple banks using internet banking and NEFT/RTGS and extending ECL use beyond cargo processed through EDI at ports, airports, ICDs and LCSs.

Policy space for digital industrialization: WTO members urged to retain flexibility to support developing countries' e commerce participation.
India urged preservation of policy space for digital industrialization at the WTO, stressing members must retain regulatory options to promote domestic digital sectors. It called for re examination of the implications of the moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions for developing countries and LDCs, and urged investment in physical and digital infrastructure, supportive regulatory frameworks, and digital capabilities, citing India's Digital Public Infrastructure approach as a model to democratise technology and spur large scale digitalisation.

Electronic Data Interchange rollout at land customs stations expands trade facilitation and regional ease of doing business.
The Finance Minister will inaugurate Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) at Land Customs Stations in the North East to enhance ease of doing business and regional trade, and CBIC will hand over 101 Customs seized antiquities to Archaeological Survey of India zonal units at seven locations, evidencing coordination between customs enforcement and cultural property custodianship.

Startup ecosystem collaboration convenes startups, investors and government partners to showcase entrepreneurship and enable investor matchmaking at national summit.
A national startup convening organised by major industry associations with government commerce and industry partners will aggregate startups, investors, incubators and accelerators to facilitate networking, capacity building and investor matchmaking through thematic tracks, mentoring sessions, masterclasses, keynotes and roundtables, and a curtain raiser will present institutional participation and confirm stakeholder engagement.

Public stockholding for food security: call for a permanent WTO solution and constructive negotiation on safeguards.
The statement calls on WTO Members to secure meaningful agriculture outcomes, stressing the need for permanent solutions that reflect developing country priorities. It emphasizes the critical importance of public stockholding for food security and urges adoption of Proposal JOB/AG/229 as a basis for a permanent solution. It reaffirms the right to a Special Safeguard Mechanism (SSM) to respond to import surges and price declines, invites engagement on the African Group submission, and insists on preserving Special and Differential Treatment and non trade concerns in negotiations.

Organic export promotion: new APEDA division and NPOP overhaul to align standards and strengthen certification oversight.
APEDA has established a dedicated organic promotion division to coordinate organic export strategies, including roadmaps for Uttarakhand and Sikkim to improve farming practices, certification, and export product selection. The National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) will be revised to harmonize with international regulations and prospective Mutual Recognition Agreements, with IT modernization to strengthen oversight of Certification Bodies and certified operators, incorporating geo-tagging and geo-location for inspections.

Export promotion of ODOP and GI products expanded through FPO exporter conversion and sea protocols enabling long-distance shipments.
APEDA has implemented export-promotion measures prioritising ODOP and GI products and non-traditional sourcing, organising over 27 flag-offs to expand destinations. It has transformed 119 FPOs/FPCs into direct exporters through capacity-building, and, in collaboration with research institutes, is developing sea protocols for long-distance fresh-produce shipments to reduce logistics costs and enable trial shipments to major markets.

Customs technology modernization: AI and automation to streamline clearances and strengthen border control for trade facilitation.
The conference emphasised the transformative role of AI and related technologies in Customs functioning, advocating business process simplification, automation and digitisation (including remote LCS), smart infrastructure, Track and Trace and K9 deployment to expedite clearances and bolster border control. It highlighted risk based clearance practices that expedite most consignments and called for human resources reform, upskilling, inter agency coordination, and standardisation of processes under a 'Reform, Perform, Transform' approach to reduce dwell time and compliance costs while maintaining security.

Export facilitation for bananas via sea protocols expands market access and supports women entrepreneurs in long distance fresh fruit shipments.
APEDA-facilitated sea shipment of Indian bananas to Russia used developed sea protocols to maintain quality, with logistics from farmer procurement and packhouse grading to containerised shipping, and emphasised financial assistance, women entrepreneur support, collaboration with research institutions, and broader export promotion measures aimed at expanding market diversification and increasing export-driven farmer income.

Agricultural export facilitation expands market access for farmers through capacity building and new export infrastructure in Purvanchal.
APEDA organised a Capacity Building cum Buyer Seller Meet in Mirzapur to boost agri and processed food exports from Purvanchal by providing training, market linkages and buyer engagement for FPOs and farmers. The initiative foregrounds export infrastructure development, notably the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Niryat Suvidha Kendra (a 5 acre facility with a packhouse, training centre and offices for export agencies) and enhanced cold chain, quarantine and clearance services at Varanasi Airport to facilitate single window export operations and connect producers to markets.

Exchange rate determination for customs: official rupee conversion rates set for imports and exports, effective mid February.
The Board prescribes rupee equivalents for listed foreign currencies for customs purposes, effective 16 February 2024, superseding the prior notification of 1 February 2024. Rates are separated for imported goods and export goods and appear in two schedules: Schedule I (per unit rates for major currencies) and Schedule II (rates per 100 units for certain currencies). These notified rates are the official conversion rates for customs valuation and procedures until further amendment or supersession.

Merchandise export growth driven by key manufacturing and pharmaceutical sectors improves trade balance amid stronger services exports.
Merchandise exports showed year on year growth in January 2024, driven by Petroleum Products, Engineering Goods, Electronic Goods and Pharmaceuticals, with 18 of 30 merchandise sectors expanding. Services exports and the services surplus increased for April-January 2023-24, offsetting a decline in merchandise exports and contributing to an overall narrowing of the trade deficit; non petroleum, non gems & jewellery trade recorded reduced imports year on year.

Trade Agreement negotiations advance as India and Peru progress working groups toward pragmatic consensus and greater market access.
India and Peru held the sixth round of negotiations in Lima to advance a comprehensive Trade Agreement, with nine in person working groups addressing Trade in Goods, Rules of Origin, Trade in Services, Movement of Natural Persons, Customs Procedures and Trade Facilitation, Dispute Settlement, and institutional provisions. Over seventy delegates from multiple ministries participated, while additional technical groups continue virtually; parties aim for pragmatic consensus and have scheduled the next round for April 2024.

Agricultural export facilitation enables farmer-led millet value-added shipments to international markets through startup support and value-chain control.
APEDA supported around five hundred startups in marketing and exporting millet-based value-added products; a Sangrur farmer exported a first consignment of ready-to-cook millets and flours to an Australian importer. The exporter retains end-to-end value chain control-cultivation, primary and secondary processing, and international-quality packaging-meeting buyer requirements and exemplifying a facilitator-driven model to expand millet export market access and scale value-added exports.