Expansion of India-Chile Preferential Trade Agreement

A Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) between India and Chile was earlier signed on March 8, 2006 and came into force with effect from August, 2007.

In the original PTA concluded in March 2006, India’s offer list to Chile consisted of 178 tariff lines the Margin of Preference (MoP) ranging from 10%-50% at 8-digit level and Chile’s offer list to India consisted of 296 tariff lines with MoP ranging from 10% - 100% at 8-digit level.

Under the expanded PTA, Chile has offered concessions to India on 1,798 tariff lines with Margin of Preference (MoP) ranging from 30%-100% and India has offered concessions to Chile on 1,031 tariff lines at 8-digit level with MoP ranging from 10%-100%.

India’s export basket with Chile is diversified and keeping in view the wide variety of tariff lines offered by Chile, the expanded PTA would immensely benefit India.

Among the LAC countries, Chile was the third largest trading partner of India during 2015-16.

India‘s bilateral trade with Chile stood at US$ 2.64 billion with exports at US$ 0.68 billion and imports at US$ 1.96 billion, respectively, during 2015-16(P).

India’s exports to Chile are diverse which consist of transport equipment, drugs and pharmaceuticals, yarn of polyester fibres, tyres and tubes, manufacture of metals, articles of apparel, organic/inorganic and agro chemicals, textiles, ready-made garments, plastic goods, leather products, engineering goods, imitation jewellery, sports goods and handicrafts.

Major items of import from Chile are copper ore and concentrates, iodine, copper anodes, copper cathodes, molybdenum ores & concentrates, lithium carbonates & oxide, metal scrap, inorganic chemicals, pulp & waste paper, fruits & nuts excluding cashews, fertilizers and machinery.

The expansion would be an important landmark in India-Chile relations and consolidate the traditional fraternal relations that have existed between India and LAC countries, the Union Ministry of Commerce & Industry said in its release.