Edwin Paul: India Business Council Chair on the India FTA showing early signs of growth before coming into force

The India Business Council isn't surprised to see the Free Trade Agreement have an impact already, before coming into force.

New export numbers show apples are in high demand – volumes jumping 63% on the 2024 season when negotiations began. 

Last month, Matariki Forests sent its first shipment of logs from Bluff to India since 2020. 

Council Chair Edwin Paul told Ryan Bridge there's an increase in general business confidence.

He says there's also a real interest in the likes of mean, wood, honey, and technology.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Governments is export is here already experiencing a halo effect
of the India FTA. They've put out a pressure rear
this about this applely exports to India RUP sixty three
percent on last season. Key we for it, grow a
set for big tariff savings. Edwin Paul, India Business Council
Chair with us this morning and was a.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
Good morning, good morning, Grahn.

Speaker 1 (00:18):
Now look, I'm all for this FTA, but to try
and claim we're already having some kind of impact from
it before the thing's even you know, passed into law
surely is a stretch.

Speaker 2 (00:30):
I would beg to disagree, because the business is all
about confidence the contents that the market displaces. Soever since
the talk of the FTA came in, the visitor arrivals
to New Zealand increase people. We've seen delegations happening back
and forth. I'm not surprised, and I think the term

(00:51):
halo is quite right. We are timeless, too early to
count the numbers exactly, but we are seeing the impact already.

Speaker 1 (01:00):
And we've I mean, you're rap, we've had delegations going
both ways. What about specific industries, What are you seeing
in particular areas.

Speaker 2 (01:09):
Okay, see you the lowest hanging fruit literally I mean
sorry for the pinet that you mentioned. Is we've seen
an increase in apples already and with our defined increase
in quota from fokiri fruit, we know there's going to
be a steady increase on that side. And also specific
to sectors, we had a delegation on agritech which came

(01:31):
to our field days and that was only about a
month ago and I think they even the outcomes were
greater around that. But we're also seeing interest in honey,
in meat, and wood, in technology, innovation, sports teck.

Speaker 1 (01:45):
Especially obviously Modi's coming here Friday, very big visit for
our country. Are you Is anyone worried about the noise
from Winston Peters and his zeland?

Speaker 2 (01:55):
First, Oh, the noise will always be around such high
level that delegation, and it's not just in India or
New Zealand. Anywhere these leaders go. There's always be some
fringe gentlemen's creating these kinds of issues. We I think
both garments a lerica and the commitment from both the

(02:15):
leaders to actually meet and shake hands would be the
strongest symbol that I mean, the strongest signal that they
would can wrefort to increase business confidence.

Speaker 1 (02:25):
All right, thank you very much. Edou and Paul India
Business Council Chair with us this morning.

Speaker 2 (02:29):
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