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The flagging offs were held at Bharat Diamond Bourse in Bandra-Kurla Complex, Nhava Sheva and SEEPZ-SEZ.

The flagging-off ceremony marked the beginning of export shipments under the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). The Agreement is expected to promote bilateral trade, improve market access for Indian products in the United Kingdom and enhance export opportunities for Indian businesses. Several sectors, including gems and jewellery, textiles, leather, marine products, engineering goods, footwear and MSMEs are expected to benefit from the preferential tariff provisions under the agreement.

At Nhava Sheva, during the ceremony, export consignments from seven exporters representing diverse sectors, including chemicals, pharmaceuticals, plastics, food products, enzymes and spices, were flagged off. At SEEPZ-SEZ, the launch of the India-UK CETA was marked with a flag-off ceremony of export shipments to the United Kingdom at the Mega Common Facilitation Centre.

A presentation on the India-UK CETA at SEEPZ-SEZ highlighted the significance of the agreement and the opportunities it offers across key export sectors for Indian exporters. For the Gems & Jewellery sector, which contributes over Rs 2,109 crore of SEEPZ's exports to the UK, the elimination of the UK's 4 per cent import duty is expected to provide an immediate annual tariff benefit of about ₹84 crore. The Agreement is also expected to enhance price competitiveness, improve exporter margins, attract higher investments, generate employment and significantly boost exports from SEEPZ-SEZ to the United Kingdom in the coming years, said officials.

The flagging-off ceremonies also provided an opportunity to create awareness among exporters regarding the procedural requirements for availing the benefits under the Agreement, including compliance with Rules of Origin, documentation requirements and other related export procedures, they added.