According to an official statement, India and New Zealand are expected to establish working groups in various sectors including agriculture, food processing, storage & transportation, forestry, and pharmaceuticals. These groups aim to promote continued collaboration on important trade and economic matters.
During a series of one-on-one meetings in New Zealand on April 26-27, the two countries also aimed to work together in the pharmaceuticals and medical devices sector.
This included exploring ways to step up regulatory processes and assess the quality of manufacturing facilities by utilizing inspection reports from similar foreign regulators when applicable.
Sunil Barthwal, the Commerce Secretary leading the Indian delegation, held meetings with New Zealand’s Minister for Trade Todd McClay, and Acting Chief Executive and Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade Brook Barrington. He took part in the India-New Zealand Business Council (INZBC) and the 11th India-New Zealand Joint Trade Committee (JTC) meeting.
The discussions focused on trade issues important to both parties, such as market access, non-tariff barriers, and sanitary and phytosanitary measures for products like grapes, okra, and mangoes.
They also discussed Mutual realization Arrangement for Organic products, simplified confirmation for vehicles, and mutual recognition of comparable domestic standards. Both sides repeated their dedication to resolving these matters through constructive dialogue and cooperation within the JTC framework.
Both parties briefly discussed potential collaborations in digital trade, meeting Nationally Determined Contributions, cross-border payment systems, and other areas.
They also talked about working together within platforms like G20, the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF), and other international associations to address economic challenges and opportunities.
Both sides repeated their dedication to the principles of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in maintaining a rules-based global trading system.
In general, there was a mutual agreement that the current cooperation could be advanced through ongoing communication. Therefore, both parties agreed to schedule regular meetings at various levels to address issues and collaborate on existing and unexplored areas.
Date : 18 May 2023 Time : 10 AM to 05 PM Faculty : Asmita Thaokar (FSSAI National Level Resource Person)
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