Port Louis, Mauritius (CU)_ A comprehensive economic cooperation agreement between India and Mauritius was signed and approved on Wednesday by the Union Cabinet. The deal was a kind of free trade pact between the two countries which focuses on liberalizing standards to improve two-way trade. An official statement said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi who chaired the cabinet meeting approved the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA) between India and Mauritius.
The agreement will allow 310 Indian exports, which include food products and beverages, agricultural goods, cloth and textile articles, base metals, electrical and electronic articles, plastics and chemicals, wood and articles thereof. Mauritius will benefit from 615 products, which include frozen fish, specialty sugar, biscuits, fresh fruit, juices, mineral water, beer, alcoholic beverages, soaps, bags, medical and surgical equipment, and apparel. In such an arrangement, two trading partners, in addition to liberalizing standards to facilitate trade in services, cut or remove duties on a variety of goods. A mutually convenient date for the signing of the agreement will be finalized. It would be the first such trade agreement between India and an African country.
Trade in products, rules of origin, trade in services, Technological Barriers to Trade (TBT), Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) steps, resolution of disputes, movement of natural persons, telecommunications, financial services, customs procedures and cooperation in other fields will be included in the agreement. India’s export products to Mauritius are petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, cereals, cotton and electrical equipment, garments and clothing accessories. Mauritius’ exports to India include iron and steel, pearls, precious/semi-precious stones and optical, photographic and precision equipment.
