Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal urges India-Africa alignment on standards, customs to enhance trade

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday pitched for aligning standards and customs procedures between India and Africa to boost bilateral trade.

He also said that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), valued at nearly $3.4 trillion, along with India's rapidly expanding $4 trillion economy, presents immense opportunities to create resilient partnerships, diversify supply chains, and move beyond raw material trade towards higher-value manufacturing and integrated value chains.

The minister "emphasised the need to build upon existing trade ties and preferential trade frameworks by aligning standards, customs procedures and business practices to facilitate faster and smarter growth for businesses on both sides", the Commerce Ministry said.

Addressing a curtain raiser event for the forthcoming India-Africa Business Dialogue (IABD) and Exhibition, Goyal said renewable energy, green hydrogen, green ammonia, electric mobility, digitalisation, and telecommunications are key sectors to boost cooperation.

Bilateral trade between India and Africa reached $93.69 billion in 2025-26, registering a 14.39 per cent growth over the preceding year. India's exports to Africa stood at $45.42 billion, while imports reached $48.27 billion during the same period.

He said active discussions are underway with the Eurasia bloc, while India also plans to begin trade talks with Mexico and countries in the South African union.

Goyal added that India is aspiring to achieve a $1 trillion exports target this year.

Piyush Goyal highlights export push

Goyal on Wednesday highlighted major achievements of the government in the past 10 days, such as export promotion initiatives, progress in FTA negotiations and discussions with global companies to strengthen manufacturing investments in India, IANS reported.

In a post on X, the minister stated that Assam’s One District One Product (ODOP) honey was exported to the US for the first time, while India and Canada successfully concluded the second round of negotiations for the proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

He highlighted that the government engaged with global industry leaders from Airbus, L'Oréal Groupe, Carrier and LVMH to deepen investments and strengthen manufacturing in India.

According to the minister, the government also held key meetings to review the progress of India’s FTAs, export promotion strategies and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) approvals aimed at improving global market access for Indian agriculture and fisheries products, according to IANS.

Earlier in the month, the Commerce Ministry had announced the first-ever export of 20 metric tonnes of honey from Assam’s Baksa district to the US under the ODOP initiative, with support from the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).

According to the government, the initiative expected to improve income opportunities for local beekeepers and farmers while promoting value-added agricultural exports from Aspirational Districts.

Moreover, India and Canada recently concluded the second round of CEPA negotiations held here, covering discussions on trade in goods and services, intellectual property rights, rules of origin and sanitary and phytosanitary measures, among other areas, as per IANS.

In addition, the next round of CEPA negotiations between the two countries is scheduled to be held in Ottawa in July 2026. Goyal said he held discussions with senior executives from LVMH and L'Oréal Groupe on expanding sourcing, manufacturing and exports from India.

The discussions with LVMH focused on strengthening manufacturing in India, promoting local talent and enhancing exports, while talks with L'Oréal explored opportunities in India’s beauty and personal care sector following the company’s recent investment plans in Hyderabad. (With Agency Inputs)