KOLKATA, July 15 -- The City of Joy is one of India's leading centres for jewellery manufacturing and craftsmanship and on Wednesday, Kolkata celebrated a historic milestone with the flagging off of the first jewellery export consignment to the UK under the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) at the Kolkata Air Cargo Complex.
The ceremony was held in the presence of state industry and commerce minister Tapas Roy; Yogendra Garg, IRS, Member, Customs; Chandra Kant Mishra, ITS, Additional Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) and Dr Andrew Fleming, British Deputy High Commissioner, East & Northeast India, along with others.
The Kolkata flag-off forms part of a nationwide initiative being held across Delhi, Mumbai, Surat, Jaipur and Chennai, celebrating India's first jewellery exports to the UK under the landmark trade agreement. Six leading exporters from Kolkata are part of the inaugural US$10 million jewellery shipment comprising gold, diamond, silver and platinum.
The India-UK CETA ushers in a new era for India's gem and jewellery industry by providing zero-duty access to the UK market from the day the agreement enters into force and eliminating UK import tariffs of up to 4%. The agreement gives Indian exporters a significant competitive advantage in the UK's US$4 billion jewellery import market, paving the way for enhanced exports, investment and employment.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.