India and the UK must turn the promise of their Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) into tangible business gains, fresh investment and job creation, with ministers from both countries calling for stronger industry engagement and practical support to help businesses seize new opportunities.

 

Addressing a business dialogue, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal outlined opportunities across key sectors, stressing that India and the UK could combine their respective strengths to unlock greater trade and prosperity. 

 

He also called for closer cooperation between the two financial centres, saying they should work towards becoming a connected pathway to greater progress and prosperity.

 

Healthcare, pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, food processing and consumer goods emerged as key areas for collaboration. Goyal highlighted India's strengths in affordable generic medicines and the UK's capabilities in branded and innovative pharmaceutical products, noting that India's affordability and Britain's strengths in discovery could together become a force multiplier.

 

He also underlined the importance of skills development and training across priority sectors, warning that while capital could move quickly across borders, capabilities took time to build. Greater investment in mutual understanding and capacity-building, he said, would be critical to expanding bilateral trade.

 

 

Goyal called for clear, practical guidance to help businesses of all sizes take advantage of CETA, particularly on tariff schedules, rules of origin and documentation requirements. He stressed that information should be available in plain language and, in India, regional languages to ensure businesses across different regions could navigate the agreement.

 

Citing a unit in Tirupur in southern India and an engineering firm in the Midlands, he highlighted the importance of accessible guidance, including in Tamil where relevant, to help businesses understand and use the agreement effectively.

 

The Minister said a key measure of success would be the number of new exporters entering the UK market with new products. He also called for regular sectoral round tables, business delegations and large-scale participation in exhibitions, including as partner countries, to demonstrate both governments' commitment to implementing the trade pact.

 

Concluding his address, Goyal called for turning the ambitions of India-UK Vision 2035 into concrete progress, guided by the principle that when nations grow together, their people prosper together.

 

 

Jonathan Reynolds MP, the UK's Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, said the conclusion of CETA had opened the door to sustained, practical engagement between governments and businesses in both countries.

 

The government-to-government JETCO meeting concluded ahead of the business dialogue, with committees and working groups launched and a joint review of the agreement's utilisation initiated to address business feedback, resolve implementation challenges and improve delivery.

 

With CETA having been in force for almost 100 days, Reynolds said there were encouraging signs that businesses on both sides were beginning to use the agreement and explore opportunities in advanced manufacturing, clean energy, life sciences, technology, services and creative industries.

 

He emphasised that the agreement's success would ultimately depend on businesses using it to expand exports, attract investment and build partnerships.

 

Reynolds also called for targeted support for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and first-time exporters, particularly in understanding tariff reductions, rules of origin, customs procedures, regulatory requirements and procurement opportunities.

 

He urged businesses to provide frank and constructive feedback so that implementation bottlenecks could be identified and addressed through CETA's utilisation review, committees and working groups.

 

The UK minister stressed that the agreement should serve as a launchpad for deeper India-UK economic ties, with cooperation translating into tangible results — including contracts, investments, technology commercialisation and jobs in both countries. Keeping businesses at the centre of implementation, he said, would be crucial.

 

 

Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada called for sustained engagement between Indian and UK businesses through trade missions, business exchanges and closer cooperation between industrial associations.

 

Such engagement, he said, would help companies identify partners, explore commercial opportunities and strengthen ties across regions and businesses of different sizes.

 

He identified technological collaboration as the next frontier of India-UK economic relations, particularly in artificial intelligence, semiconductors and data centres.

 

The UK's research and development capabilities, combined with India's engineering talent, digital market and ability to deploy technologies at scale, offered significant scope for collaboration, he said.

 

Referring to the Technology Security Initiative agreed in 2024, Prasada said the two countries could work together to develop trusted, affordable technologies for global markets.

 

He called for continued government-industry engagement to strengthen business confidence and urged both sides to measure progress at the next JETCO meeting through concrete outcomes, including partnerships signed, factories opened and jobs created.

 

 

The UK India Business Council (UKIBC), strategic and knowledge partner to the Great North delegation, is supporting a first-of-its-kind mayoral mission to India, bringing together leaders from five Combined Authorities across the North of England.

 

UKIBC has provided the delegation with strategic and market intelligence on India, identified bilateral opportunities in priority sectors and facilitated engagement with Indian industry and government.

 

The mission is part of UKIBC's broader effort to strengthen commercial links between India's business ecosystem and Northern England. Its work includes identifying each region's strongest proposition for the Indian market, developing market strategies and engagement plans, and building long-term partnerships with Indian businesses and institutions.

 

The focus is on moving beyond ambition to practical programmes on the ground — strengthening regional ties, opening doors for businesses and translating India-UK economic cooperation into lasting commercial opportunities.