CHENNAI: As the India-United Kingdom CETA came into force on Wednesday, the first commercial consignments valued at USD 4,46,046 were officially flagged off from Chennai.
The shipments were flagged off by Sutapa Choudhury, British Deputy High Commissioner for Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Keralam and Rajalakshmi Devaraj, Zonal Additional Director General of Foreign Trade, Chennai.
The inaugural event featured distinct consignments representing diverse sectors, such as gold jewellery exported by Emerald Jewel Industry India Limited (Coimbatore), Automotive Components exported by Brakes India Pvt. Ltd. (Chennai), Cast Wheels exported by Wheels India Limited and Leather Footwear exported by Good Leather Shoes Pvt.Ltd.
Showcasing India's robust value-added food processing capabilities, APEDA facilitated a 50-metric-tonne (MT) consignment of agricultural and processed food products from Tamil Nadu.
The shipment included 25 MT of Premium traditional rice, millets and jaggery powder exported by Rigel Spices, alongside 25 MT of frozen Ready-to-Eat (RTE) food products from Visnukumar Traders Pvt.Ltd.
Speaking at the event, Sutapa Choudhury emphasized that the CETA represents a “New era of trade Cooperation” and will strengthen the UK–India Vision 2035 by deepening investment ties, supporting climate action, and expanding collaboration in Science, Technology and Education.
Highlighting the agreement's potential, Rajalakshmi Devaraj stated that CETA will unlock unprecedented opportunities for Indian exporters, particularly MSMEs, by reducing trade barriers.
(With inputs from PTI)