India, July 15 -- The first cargo shipment to the United Kingdom under the newly implemented India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was officially flagged off from the cargo terminal at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport in Amritsar on Wednesday.

Local exporters attended the ceremony alongside officials from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) and the airport's cargo department. They observed the complete handling process from packing and scanning to aircraft loading.

Under the terms of the agreement, nearly 99% of Indian products will now enjoy zero-duty access to the UK market. This marks a major shift for sectors like ready-made garments, which previously faced steep import duties between 12% and 20% that hampered i...