Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has said that there has not been any country apart from India to have finalised an Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Australia, New Zealand, the UK, the European Union, the four-nation EFTA, and the United States.

Speaking at an event in New Delhi yesterday, he said that India has protected the interest of the farmers, dairy sector and MSMEs in all FTAs.

Mr Goyal highlighted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken forward the reform agenda in mission mode. He said that 38 countries have been covered under nine FTAs which together cover two-thirds of the global economy. The Minister also asserted that without India it will be difficult to expand AI in the global value chain.