Australia will extend duty-free access to 100% of Indian exports from January 1, 2026, under the India–Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA), Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal announced on Monday.
In a post on social media, Goyal said the move would eliminate duties across all Australian tariff lines for Indian goods, opening up fresh opportunities for labour-intensive sectors and strengthening India’s export competitiveness in the Australian market.
Highlighting the impact of ECTA since it came into force on December 29, 2022, the minister noted that the agreement has delivered sustained export growth, deeper market access, and stronger supply-chain resilience over the past three years. India’s exports to Australia grew by 8% in 2024–25, contributing to an improvement in India’s trade balance and benefiting exporters, MSMEs, farmers, and workers.
According to Goyal, significant gains have been recorded across manufacturing, chemicals, textiles, plastics, pharmaceuticals, petroleum products, and gems and jewellery. Gems and jewellery exports alone rose 16% during April–November 2025. Agricultural exports also saw broad-based growth, with sharp increases in fruits and vegetables, marine products, spices, and exceptional growth in coffee.
The ECTA aims to deepen trade and investment ties between the two countries by progressively eliminating tariffs, simplifying market access, and supporting supply-chain integration. The agreement assumes added significance as India seeks to diversify its export destinations amid recent strains in trade ties with the US.
Goyal added that while India and Australia continue negotiations toward a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA), ECTA remains a key anchor of India’s economic engagement in the Indo-Pacific region.
