Australian Trade Minister Andrew Robb said Friday "despite India's infamous bureaucracy and protectionism", he is hopeful of securing a high quality free trade agreement (FTA) with India by the end of this year.
Robb, ahead of his visit to India Jan 9-16, said Australia's trade relationship with India is a fraction of what it could be, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported.
He will be joined by 450 government and business representatives.
The minister said his government was confident Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi could drive a cultural change to make it more attractive for Australian companies to do business in India.