India is going to make trade deals with many countries in the current year.Image Credit source: Google Gemini
India has set an accelerated timeline for implementing several free trade deals (FTAs), signaling a strong move towards deepening global trade relations by 2026. The long-awaited India-UK FTA is expected to be implemented by May 2026, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Aggarwal told reporters during a briefing on trade data. Aggarwal also indicated that the FTA with Oman will come into effect from June 1, adding another name to the list of agreements to be implemented. Meanwhile, India is set to sign its FTA with New Zealand on April 27, and the agreement is expected to be in place by October 2026.
Since 2014, India has signed eight trade agreements in various sectors, thereby increasing its participation in global trade. These include the agreement that came into force with Mauritius in April 2021; The agreement came into force with the United Arab Emirates in May 2022; And includes the agreement applicable with Australia from December 2022.
India also signed agreements with Oman in December 2025 and the United Kingdom in July 2025, while the agreement with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA)—which includes Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway—came into force in October 2025. Negotiations with New Zealand were completed in December 2025, while negotiations with the European Union were completed on January 27, 2026.
This emphasis on FTA is being given at a time when India is preparing to restart negotiations on a separate interim trade agreement with the US. According to the report, a delegation of Indian officials will visit Washington next week to resume talks. The visit comes after a framework for the first phase of the India-US trade deal has already been finalized. However, efforts to finalize the legal draft were stalled when changes in the US tariff regime changed the negotiating environment.
A decision by the US Supreme Court struck down sweeping mutual tariffs proposed by President Donald Trump, necessitating a change in trade policy. Subsequently, Washington imposed a uniform 10 percent tariff on imports from all countries for a period of 150 days starting on February 24. The move effectively eliminated the relative advantage India enjoyed under the previous framework, which envisaged reducing US tariffs on Indian goods to 18 percent. Due to this uncertainty, a planned meeting between the main negotiators last month was postponed. The talks next week are expected to be very important, especially because the US is also conducting two investigations under Section 301, which has added further complexity to the discussions.
