Bharat Chawla: India NZ Business Council chair on India testing the waters on a trade agreement with New Zealand

New reports indicate the Indian Government is sounding out the nation's biggest businesses to determine how they feel about a trade agreement with New Zealand.

The Indian Government reportedly sent an email to members of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry asking for feedback on the idea of starting negotiations with NZ on a free trade agreement.

India NZ Business Council chair Bharat Chawla explains what this could mean going forward.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So the hunt for the mythical free trade agreement with
India continues. But here's some good news. India has started
to sound out some of its largest businesses to hear
what they think about that potential free trade deal with US.
The Indian government sent an email to members of the
Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry asking for

(00:21):
feedback on the idea of starting trade negotiations. So Bada
Chalah is the chair of the Indian New Zealand Business
Council and joins you, Now, how about it, Hi Andrew?

Speaker 2 (00:31):
How are you very good?

Speaker 1 (00:33):
This is good for New Zealand. It's a sign at
least in the government. The Indian government's starting to ask
businesses what can we do with New Zealand.

Speaker 2 (00:40):
I think it's wonderful, wonderful news and it actually it
took time, but it's getting getting somehow, a good, better
idea for everyone.

Speaker 1 (00:50):
Yes, you say, it takes time, and we've been talking
about this for at least seven years, so this might
this might be the first step. But you know, are
we head? Do we have an the seven years ahead
of us?

Speaker 2 (01:02):
I think if you see government, the current government have
done a lot in last year by going to Indian
building that relationship between diplomats and the government. If I
take the six years before that were we're pretty much
not not well in terms of the travel and discussion
with the government. Is that correct? So I think that's

(01:24):
that I'll discount that six years and said that this
year has been wonderful or last year been wonderful.

Speaker 1 (01:29):
Good, that's true. Now if the private sector starts saying, yeah,
we're is a little bit interested, that would make things
happen faster, wouldn't it.

Speaker 2 (01:38):
I think from an Indian Indian perspective, private sector gets
a kind of a saye to do it. So it's again,
it will not happen immediately. I think. I not say
that it will happen tomorrow, but it's a direction which
we want to see and with coming months or years
you will see more improvements or more positives in the relationship.

Speaker 1 (01:58):
So look, what exactly would India want to import from
New Zealand? What could we sell them? What would they
want from us?

Speaker 2 (02:07):
I think a lot of time if you see I
was in India two weeks ago. What they want is
more about how we can provide the technology transfers or
we can provide about investments in India in terms of
manufacturing sector or even improve the tourism sector or other
areas even against the primary industries are doing well towards

(02:28):
getting to the direction of positivity.

Speaker 1 (02:30):
Well, you say saying manufacturing and you're saying technology because
of because we always instantly think, you know, primary products,
you know, meat, beef and milk and all the lamb
and all that sort of stuff. But you you're you're
saying that the India would be more interested in how
we make the meat, the beef, the lamb and the
milk than the milk and the and the beef.

Speaker 2 (02:51):
And I'm not I'm not saying that we don't want
that with India, but like the Focus which has been
working on that, what else muism can give. So what
we are doing with India now and we can improve
on that. But if you see example of Racon which
have provided the transmitters for the Chandryan three space program.
So there are a lot newsing can offer. We have

(03:13):
a good startup ecosystem, we have good tech tech companies
or doing some work like road marking in India software
is done by a news and company. So there's a
lot happening. So we always called dairy or meat or kiwi.
They're already working hard to get there, but we need
to open more doors with India.

Speaker 1 (03:31):
Also, yes, I saw the pharographs that India took of
the Moon because they see a space so they sped
a spaceship to the moon. And yes, we have some
very good rocket engineers here and so we could help
in many different ways. What could we offer India to
make the deal more attractive because we already have pretty
low tariffs internationally and with India. So what have we
got that we that could make them go oh goodat we're.

Speaker 2 (03:53):
In See if you see all the deals of India
are also one of the lines of people movement. Example,
we're talking about how many people we can travel from
India at what kind of visa are there making the
process more smoother. At the same time, the technology which
helps India to increase this productivity and we do have
some good technologies to work on that. In terms of

(04:13):
when we say daily farming, we talk about robotics in
giving fruit picking or apple fruit picking. So there are
things apart from what we are doing now. So if
you see the work depity is doing good from AIRA
is doing good Apple and Peer are doing. They're doing
great work, but some more sweetening can help things get there.

(04:35):
I can see that.

Speaker 1 (04:36):
So with all this good news that the Indian government
has asked a consultation from private companies and how they're
feeling about things, do you think it's realistic to think
we might really start real negotiations in the next couple
of years.

Speaker 2 (04:48):
I think we should start faster than that. I can
say that because see India also is looking for more partners.
If you see India five years ago was different to
what it's today, they are are doing faster deal signing.
If I say currently there are around ten to eleven
agreements are in discussion within there with other countries, so

(05:10):
they can if they want to do a free trade
agreement or they want to do any comprehensive agreement, they
can sign in one year to eighteen months. Also, well,
listen is fast now, that.

Speaker 1 (05:20):
Is great and let's help, sir, because I think we'd
be great friends together and we'll do some good business together.
And Baratta, I would like to thank you very much
for your time today. That's Barachawala, who is the Indian
New Zealand Business Council chair for more from hither duplusy
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