2030 Roadmap for India-UK future relations – Food and Drink
By Shubhi Mishra
As both our Prime Ministers embraced the launch of the Enhanced Trade Partnership and announced their intent to negotiate a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement, research and innovation in the agriculture and allied food and drink sector will be a key focus. There is intent to work together to ensure food security by improving shelf life of healthy foods, enhancing urban and deep-sea farming technology, aquaculture diversification, upgrading nutrient and water use efficiency and reducing post-harvest losses.
Addressing the non-tariff barriers to trade in the food and drink sector under the ETP will remain indispensable to boost exports and strengthen trade partnership.
Joint Working Groups will continue to work towards reducing and removing market access barriers faced by Indian businesses in the UK and UK businesses in India. Through the new UK-India Ease of Doing Business MoU, businesses should continue to share experiences on regulatory reforms, trade facilitation and standards, and encourage cooperation between government regulators, such as Food Safety and Standards of Authority of India and the UK regulators, to facilitate exports and avoid trade disruptions due to non-compliance with standards by producers and exporters.
The agricultural and food processing sector, in particular, is being closely monitored by stakeholders in both the countries, eyeing both trade and investment opportunities. It is critical for UK companies to take cognisance of the diversity of the Indian market in order to select an appropriate partner for their operations and widen their footprint in what is an increasingly globalising economy. In addition, the roadmap gives an opportunity to the companies, including those from the agriculture, food, and drink sectors, to take forward collaboration and share best practice and low-cost climate appropriate technologies in areas including: clean energy, clean transport and e-mobility, sustainable finance, green businesses, industrial decarbonisation, protecting nature and biodiversity, and adaptation and resilience.
The UK India Business Council remains committed to supporting business active in this corridor for the agriculture, food, and drink sector and working towards positive reforms for the sector, covering both tariff and non-tariff market access barriers as faced by industry.
