A formal arrangement reached between India and the United Kingdom on Monday will see both nations exchange yearly figures on how businesses draw upon preferential tariff provisions within their Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), according to a statement from the commerce and industry ministry.

The resolution took shape at the 16th gathering of the India-UK Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO), held in New Delhi with commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal and UK business, innovation, science and trade secretary Jonathan Reynolds sharing the chair — details of which emerged through a joint statement put out by the ministry. Committees, working groups, and direct government-to-government contact points were put in place by both parties to underpin the rollout of the trade agreement.

Data sharing between the two nations is set to begin twelve months after CETA took effect on 15 July 2026, covering details such as how often companies invoke the agreement's reduced tariff rates. The joint statement noted that companies would share data each year, beginning twelve months after CETA takes effect, covering how the trade deal is being put to use by businesses, while the exercise would also draw on industry feedback about obstacles encountered during implementation and areas where additional support may be needed.

Both parties indicated that the arrangement would help pinpoint where efforts are needed and open the door for a broader range of firms — with smaller and medium-sized enterprises standing to gain the most — to draw real value from the deal. Cooperation throughout the rollout period drew praise from the ministers, who called on officials to tackle any new difficulties without delay.

Held for the first time since CETA talks got underway in January 2022, the gathering represented a new JETCO convening. Talks between the two nations covered what had been accomplished under the treaty since it took effect, along with the agenda each side wanted to pursue in the months ahead.

Upwards of 50 shipments left India bound for the United Kingdom on the treaty's first day of operation, carrying a range of goods that spanned smartphones, electrical and mechanical machinery — turbojets among them — alongside gold jewellery, ready-made garments, woollen yarn, tea, and coffee, the joint statement noted. A consignment of Joha rice, grown in Assam, reached buyers in the United Kingdom — the first time this regionally distinct variety had been shipped across to the British market.

Under the eCoO 2.0 platform, Indian exporters gained the ability to generate their own CETA-linked certificates of origin, opening a path to reduced tariff rates without requiring third-party validation. Within a fortnight of the agreement taking hold on the British end, tariff-free Scottish salmon began reaching Indian shelves, and the total volume shipped across that period climbed into the thousands of kilograms.

According to the statement, Scotch whisky began moving into the Indian market under lowered tariff conditions, and the earliest vehicles exported within the tariff-rate quota framework had already cleared Indian customs and arrived in the country.

Talks between the two nations stretched past goods alone, folding in commitments across services, innovation, public procurement, science and technology, and gender-related policy, while also laying groundwork for closer ties between businesses and across regional networks. Both the India-UK Science and Innovation Council gathering and the Innovation Roundtable, convened on Monday, drew endorsement from the ministers, who pointed to their value in bridging businesses, investors, and researchers while advancing the path from new technologies to commercial use.

Timed to overlap with the JETCO gathering, a delegation of seven mayors and one combined authority leader from northern England took part in a wider programme of activity drawing in government figures, businesses, universities, innovators, and leaders from across the region.

Commitments were made on both sides to keep canvassing businesses, industry associations, export promotion bodies, and other stakeholders so that practical difficulties arising from CETA's rollout can be pinpointed and worked through. Backing further exchanges between the two nations through ongoing visits by senior delegations was a position the ministers collectively endorsed.

According to the joint statement, the United Kingdom is set to host the 17th JETCO gathering in 2027.