Chandigarh, Aug 18 (PTI) The India-UK trade agreement will open new opportunities for Haryana's industries, MSMEs, farmers, exporters and services sector to expand in international markets, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said on Tuesday.

The agreement, India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), which came into effect on July 15, 2026, provides nearly 99 per cent of India's exports with duty-free access to the UK market, covering almost 100 per cent of the trade value, an official statement said.

According to the statement, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is strengthening trade relations with major and influential countries as part of the vision to make 'Viksit Bharat' by 2047.

The agreement between India and the UK is also a result of this vision and marks a significant leap forward for India in the field of international trade. It will benefit all states of the country, particularly Haryana's industries, he said.

He said that with the implementation of the agreement, Haryana, a state with strong manufacturing, agriculture, automobile, engineering, textile and services sectors, is expected to gain significantly.

The agreement will enable Haryana's products to reach the large UK market at more competitive prices and help the state's exporters integrate with global value chains.

Saini further said that the major sectors likely to benefit from the agreement include textiles and apparel, leather and footwear, gems and jewellery, chemicals, engineering products, auto parts, machinery, pharmaceuticals, processed food products, handicrafts and ceramic products.

Prior to the agreement, these products attracted tariffs ranging from 4 to 70 per cent. With zero-duty access to the UK market, the competitiveness of products from these sectors will increase, providing direct benefits to Haryana.

Saini said that Haryana's textile and home furnishing industry in Panipat, automobile and auto-parts industry in Gurugram-Manesar, engineering and manufacturing sector in Faridabad, as well as agriculture and food-processing industries across various districts of the state, can take advantage of this opportunity.

He said that engineering products and auto parts are of particular importance to Haryana. Duty-free access to the UK market under the agreement will strengthen the international competitiveness of Haryana's manufacturers and MSMEs.

A direct example of this opportunity was witnessed on July 15, 2026, when the first export consignment of fasteners from Haryana to the UK was dispatched following the implementation of the agreement. This marks the beginning of a new opportunity for Haryana's manufacturing and export sectors.

Saini said that Haryana's textile, apparel, home furnishing and other labour-intensive industries provide employment to a large number of people.

Duty-free access to the UK market for these products under the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement is expected to increase export orders, expand production capacity and create new employment opportunities. This will particularly provide MSMEs, artisans, women entrepreneurs and small exporters with opportunities to integrate with global value chains.

He said that given Haryana's strong agricultural economy, the UK market has emerged as an important opportunity for agricultural and processed food products under the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement. The UK has provided duty-free market access for almost all Indian agricultural exports under the agreement, while certain sensitive products have been kept as exceptions.

This will promote exports of fruits and vegetables, processed food products, spices, value-added products derived from grains and other agriculture-based products from Haryana. Farmers, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), agro-processing units and MSMEs are also likely to benefit from this opportunity.

According to the statement, the agreement is not limited to trade in goods and provides broad market access for Indian services in 137 sub-sectors in the UK. These include IT/ITeS, business services, professional services, financial services, telecommunications and education services. This is particularly significant for major IT and services hubs in Haryana, including Gurugram.

The agreement is expected to strengthen opportunities for international business in areas such as software, digital services, BPO, management consulting, financial services, engineering design and technical consultancy.

The Chief Minister said that the India-United Kingdom Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement will prove to be an important step towards connecting Haryana with the "Global Market".

It will enable the state's industries, farmers, artisans, MSMEs, startups and services sector to further strengthen their presence in global markets while giving fresh impetus to export-led growth and employment generation, he said. PTI SUN MR