New Delhi: India, Canada reaffirm commitment to expedite CEPA negotiations
The issues that figured in the five-day talks included trade in goods, services, rules of origin, and technical trade barriers. The round followed the third round, which was held in Ottawa in July.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian PM Mark Carney set a year-end target to complete the negotiations for the CEPA between the two countries and agreed to deepen bilateral collaboration in the energy and critical mineral sectors during their meeting in New Delhi in March this year.
India-Canada bilateral trade in goods stood at $8.66 billion in 2024-25, while India’s exports to the country touched $4.22 billion.
Major items of India’s exports to Canada include pharmaceutical products, machinery parts and mechanical appliances, iron and steel articles, electronic goods, organic chemicals, jewellery, gems and precious stones, garments and textiles, seafood, engineering goods and auto parts.
India’s major imports from Canada include pulses, fertilisers, mineral fuels, wood pulp, gems & precious stones, aircraft parts, machinery parts, and iron and aluminium scrap. India’s IT sector is the main contributor to services exports to Canada.