NEW DELHI: India is keen to ink a trade agreement with
Mauritius before the Mauritian prime minister’s visit in January. Negotiations are under way at present and Mauritius wants duty cuts on its exports of textiles and marine products to India, officials said.
The India-Mauritius Comprehensive
Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement, or
CECPA, covers goods, services, investment and economic cooperation.
“The seventh round of revised negotiations is on and the plan is to conclude the deal before their PM’s visit here,” said an official. Talks for signing the CECPA began in 2006, but were suspended later as India wanted Mauritius to renegotiate the
Double Tax Avoidance Treaty (DTAA).
India wants zero duty for export of its machinery, bed linen, furnishing, processed food and spices to the island nation.
However, Mauritius’ demand for market access for its certain textile items has been met with apprehension from the textiles ministry