The India–UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) marks a significant milestone in strengthening bilateral trade and is expected to create new opportunities across sectors while increasing demand for agile and efficient supply chains.
Manisha Malhotra, Vice President – Freight Forwarding, Logistics, SCO (India), DP World.India -UK CETA Reaction Quote:
“The landmark agreement is expected to significantly strengthen bilateral trade by eliminating tariffs on 99% of India’s exports, covering almost 100% of the trade value, thereby enhancing India’s export competitiveness. The agreement is also expected to expand bilateral trade, attract investment, create new opportunities for businesses, and boost bilateral trade to USD 100 billion by 2030.
Trade agreements are often measured by the tariffs they remove. Their true success, however, is determined by the capabilities they unlock.
The UK–India Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement marks an important shift in the trade relationship between two economies with complementary strengths. Preferential access across sectors including automotive, engineering, textiles, leather, footwear and food products has the potential to accelerate India’s integration into higher-value global value chains. But tariff concessions alone will not drive competitiveness.
Businesses will need supply chains that are agile, compliant, and connected. Meeting rules of origin requirements, maintaining documentation integrity, navigating customs efficiently and synchronising production with multimodal transport networks will become just as critical as manufacturing excellence itself.
At DP World, they are well positioned to support this next phase of UK–India trade. Their globally integrated freight forwarding network spans over 300 offices worldwide and is backed by owned multimodal assets across India and more than 80 countries. Combined with end-to-end digital visibility and strong local execution, these capabilities enable us to help customers build more resilient, agile and efficient supply chains—transforming preferential market access into reliable trade flows and long-term growth.”
