Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi has called on local businesses to leverage the India-UK trade agreement, with Surat poised to benefit from increased export opportunities in jewellery, textiles, and other sectors amid the country’s broader push to deepen international trade ties.
Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi has urged the state’s business community to work more closely with the government to take advantage of new overseas markets opening for Indian exporters, saying young entrepreneurs stand to gain most from the country’s push to deepen trade links abroad.
Speaking in Surat on Sunday, Sanghavi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts had created significant opportunities for India’s youth and that the state and private sector should combine their efforts to make the most of them. His remarks come as India works to broaden access for exporters through trade agreements with major economies.
Surat, a major centre for diamonds, gems and jewellery as well as textiles, is among the cities expected to benefit from the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, which took effect on July 15. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry says the pact gives nearly 99% of Indian exports zero-duty access to the UK market, covering almost the entire value of trade.
The first export consignments from Surat under the agreement were flagged off from the Surat Diamond Bourse on July 15, according to an official release cited by the Press Information Bureau. The shipments included studded and plain gold jewellery, cotton embroidered fabrics and other products. The Times of India reported that the inaugural jewellery shipment was valued at $10 million and came from four Surat-based exporters, while The Indian Express identified them as Gaurav Jewellers, Roy Diamonds, Shish Jewels and Parvati Jewels LLP.
Government estimates suggest Indian gems and jewellery exports to the UK could rise from about $754 million to nearly $2.5 billion over the next three years, while the UK imports around $4 billion in jewellery annually. Mint reported that the wider India-UK pact is expected to support trade growth across engineering goods, textiles, leather, chemicals, marine products and services, with overall bilateral trade potentially reaching $100 billion by 2030. India’s exports of goods and services also hit a record $863.1 billion in FY2025-26, according to the Commerce Ministry, underlining the government’s push to use free trade agreements to widen market access and diversify destinations for labour-intensive sectors.
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