India to start FTA talks with African Customs union in next 3-4 months

Deal to focus on wider market access for goods and services

India and the five-member South African Customs Union (SACU) nations are exploring a free-trade agreement (FTA) and are expected to begin talks in the next three to four months, people aware of the matter said.

SACU, which comprises South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, and Eswatini, is the world’s oldest Customs union, dating back over a century.
 

“Both sides will soon finalise the terms of the FTA, after which the talks will be launched,” one of the people cited above said, adding that a trade deal with the union would help India get wider market access for items that are already in