India, Canada discuss deepening cooperation in energy, tech, food security

New Delhi, Oct 13 (PTI) Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday said India and Canada discussed possibilities to increase cooperation in areas such as energy, technology and food security, reaffirming New Delhi's commitment to strengthening trade and investment ties based on mutual trust and respect.

Goyal met Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand here.

"Our discussions focused on exploring areas of cooperation in the field of energy, technology, and food security. Also, reiterated India's readiness to reinvigorate mutually beneficial trade, investment, and economic ties based on trust and respect," Goyal said in a post on X.

Anand arrived in New Delhi last evening as part of her three-nation tour that will also take her to China and Singapore.

The discussions are important as in 2023, Canada had paused negotiations for a free trade agreement with India.

The India-Canada relations hit rock bottom following then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations in 2023 of a potential Indian link to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India had dismissed Trudeau's accusation as "absurd".

In March 2022, the two countries had re-launched negotiations for an interim agreement, officially dubbed the Early Progress Trade Agreement (EPTA).

Over half a dozen rounds of talks have been held on the trade pact so far.

In a trade agreement, two countries significantly reduce or eliminate customs duties on the maximum number of goods traded between them. They also liberalise norms for promoting trade in services and attract investments.

India's exports to Canada rose by 9.8 per cent to USD 4.22 billion in 2024-25 from USD 3.84 billion in 2023-24. Imports, however, dipped by 2.33 per cent to USD 4.44 billion in the last fiscal from USD 4.55 billion in 2023-24.

The renewed vibrancy in the ties between the two countries followed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's talks with his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney on the margins of the G7 summit at Canada's Kananaskis in June. PTI RR MR