Watch FIFA World Cup 2026™

LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE

No sugar hit for farmers in India FTA

Trade Minister Andrew Robb remains confident a trade agreement can be concluded with India by the end of 2015.

Australian Trade Minister Andrew Robb
Trade Minister Andrew Robb says he's confident a trade agreement can be concluded with India. (AAP)

Australian farmers aren't expected to immediately benefit from a new trade deal with India.

But Trade Minister Andrew Robb says service industries and investors will be the big winners.

Mr Robb has returned to Australia after his fifth visit to India in 12 months.

He is confident a trade agreement with India can be concluded by the end of the year and come into force in late 2016.

However, he says that while there is a "reasonable" package in the agreement for exporters of goods, the timeline for opening up markets for agriculture would be "quite protracted".

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

There is strong demand in India for engineering, legal, financial, educational and other services, as well as investment in rail and road infrastructure.

The agreement once concluded will require Labor's support in the parliament.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, who won concessions from the government over the China free trade deal, says Labor is in favour of trade liberalisation.

But he says the government needs to properly explain the benefits of any new agreements.


1 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world