Gandhinagar: The Gujarat govt is planning to make India’s free trade agreements (FTAs) a central focus area of the 2027 Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit (VGGS), with the state looking to leverage preferential market access and strengthen business partnerships with countries that have signed trade pacts with India.Govt sources said one of the major focus areas of the summit, scheduled to be held in Jan, will be to facilitate collaborations between Gujarat-based companies and business conglomerates from countries with which India has FTAs. Partner countries for the biennial business summit are also likely to be selected from among these FTA nations.“VGGS has emerged as one of the world’s premier business summits. Collaborations between the state and countries with which FTAs have been signed, as well as business collaborations between Gujarat-based companies and those from countries with which FTAs have been signed, will be a focus area of the VGGS,” a senior official said.The state govt has already initiated consultations with the Centre to align the summit’s agenda with India’s trade diplomacy and maximize opportunities arising from the trade agreements. Bilateral business opportunities under the FTAs are expected to be a key theme during the summit, said sources.Officials said Gujarat also plans to invite other states to participate in the summit and explore investment and business opportunities emerging from India’s trade agreements, broadening the event’s scope beyond state-specific investments.As part of preparations for the summit, overseas delegations that will travel to promote VGGS are expected to prioritize visits to countries with which India has signed FTAs, sources said. The outreach is aimed at attracting investors and industry leaders from these markets while encouraging cross-border partnerships in sectors where Gujarat has a strong manufacturing and export base.India has broadened its free trade network in recent years, taking the total to nine FTAs covering 38 countries. The expansion began with the trade agreement with Mauritius in 2021, followed by the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with the UAE in May 2022 and the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) with Australia in December 2022. India signed the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) in March 2024, which came into effect in October 2025. This was followed by the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with the United Kingdom in July 2025, the CEPA with Oman and New Zealand in December 2025, and the India–EU FTA in January 2026.
