India-UK FTA likely to be operational from May 1: Piyush Goyal

The India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) will most probably be operational by May 1, said Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, in Coimbatore on April 10, 2026 (Friday).

Addressing professionals and industry owners at a meeting organised by the Coimbatore Citizens Forum, he said the India-EU Free Trade Agreement is expected to become operational in another nine months. “We are trying to speed it up,” he said. India signed nine FTAs in the last 3.5 years and that gives preferential access to 38 developed countries and not competing countries. Indian businesses have preferential access to two-thirds of global trade. It is in talks with 20 more countries for open access. “Use these opportunities to grow and explore the world markets,” he said.