No Dairy Concessions, No GM Imports In FTAs: Piyush Goyal
What Happened
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said India has never opened its dairy sector through a free trade agreement and will not permit imports of genetically modified products, describing both as highly sensitive issues. He said India would continue protecting farmers, fishermen and MSMEs while negotiating trade agreements. At the same time, India is seeking preferential overseas market access for sectors where it sees export strengths, including textiles, pharmaceuticals, agricultural products, processed foods, footwear, leather, gems and jewellery.
Key Takeaways
Goyal has drawn clear boundaries for India’s trade negotiations: pursue better access for competitive Indian exports, while keeping sensitive areas such as dairy and GM products protected.