<p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, &quot;Open Sans&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">Chhattisgarh has moved to systematically leverage India's expanding network of free trade agreements, with the state government and the Department of Commerce convening a workshop in Raipur on 12 November 2026 to chart sector-wise strategies for deeper FTA utilisation . The event brought together state ministers, Commerce Ministry officials, DGFT representatives, export promotion councils, and exporters, and it produced a set of concrete initiatives aimed at converting the state's export potential into actual shipments under preferential terms.</span></p><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, &quot;Open Sans&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">The scale of the opportunity for Chhattisgarh is substantial. State Commerce and Industries Minister Lakhan Lal Dewangan said Chhattisgarh's exports stood at approximately USD 2 billion last year, led by rice, steel, ferro-alloys, and aluminium, alongside forest produce such as honey, lac, mahua, and tamarind, and handicrafts including Dhokra and Kosa . According to the Department of Commerce, 93 of the state's 95 export products now enjoy duty concessions in at least one partner market . The specific gains are tangible: the 5% duty on Chhattisgarh's steel and aluminium in Gulf countries has been eliminated, and the UK has removed duties of 18% on broken rice and 17% on honey.</span></p><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, &quot;Open Sans&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">The centrepiece of the state's response is the Chhattisgarh FTA Accelerator, a proposed initiative to provide end-to-end support to exporters navigating the complexities of preferential trade . Dewangan framed the initiative in terms of moving the state beyond raw material production: "Our goal is that Chhattisgarh should not remain only a producer of raw materials, but become a major hub for manufacturing and exporting finished products" . The Accelerator is complemented by a Chhattisgarh FTA Guidebook, which provides complete information on FTAs in simple language, and a plan to hold FTA workshops in all divisions by February 2027, reaching every district of the state.</span></p><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, &quot;Open Sans&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">The state has also notified the Chhattisgarh Export Promotion Policy 2026–30, which aims to double exports by 2030 and raise the state's share in India's exports from 0.5% to 1% . This target reflects an ambition to scale beyond the current USD 2 billion base, and it connects the FTA utilisation agenda to a broader industrial policy that includes manufacturing and value addition rather than solely raw material extraction.</span></p><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, &quot;Open Sans&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">The workshop structure reflected a deliberate effort to move beyond general awareness towards sector-specific guidance. Breakout sessions covered opportunities in agriculture, engineering, handicrafts, textiles, and e-commerce, allowing exporters to engage with officials on the specific barriers and opportunities in their segments . The participation of APEDA, TRIFED, and multiple export promotion councils indicates that the state is coordinating across the institutional ecosystem that supports exporters, rather than relying solely on the DGFT's general outreach.</span></p><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, &quot;Open Sans&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">For India's trade policy, Chhattisgarh's initiative illustrates the state-level implementation gap that the central government has been trying to address. India has signed FTAs with the UAE, Australia, Oman, the UK, and New Zealand, and the agreement with the European Union is expected to come into force in 2027 . But the benefits of these agreements only materialise when exporters actually use the preferential provisions, and utilisation rates have historically been below potential, particularly among MSMEs and exporters in states outside the major coastal hubs. The Chhattisgarh FTA Accelerator is an attempt to close that gap through structured hand-holding.</span></p><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, &quot;Open Sans&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">For the logistics sector, the FTA push has indirect but relevant implications. As Chhattisgarh's exporters increase their utilisation of preferential access to Gulf, UK, and eventually EU markets, the volume of cargo moving from the state's industrial clusters to ports and airports will rise. Chhattisgarh is landlocked, and its exporters depend on rail and road connections to gateways in Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh. The state's ability to convert FTA opportunities into export growth will depend not only on trade policy but on the logistics infrastructure that connects its producers to international markets.</span></p><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, &quot;Open Sans&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">Looking ahead, the key milestones are the operationalisation of the FTA Accelerator, the rollout of workshops across all divisions by February 2027, and the state's progress toward its 2030 export target. The announcements at Raipur do not disclose a budget or a staffing plan for the Accelerator, and its effectiveness will depend on whether it can provide practical, sustained support rather than one-off workshops. For now, Chhattisgarh has signalled that it intends to treat FTA utilisation as a state-level economic priority, and its experience will be watched as a template for other landlocked states seeking to capture a larger share of India's export growth.</span></p>