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SWA joins Theresa May in India for trade talks
The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) will join UK prime minister Theresa May on a trade visit to India this week to stress the “importance” of a free trade deal between the UK and India.
India currently imposes a 150% import tariff on alcohol
Sarah Dickson, global affairs director for the SWA, will join the senior ministerial visit, which also includes Liam Fox, secretary of state for international trade, and Greg Hands, minister of state for trade and investment.
A number of UK business leaders, including Diageo CEO Ivan Menezes, will also join the trade delegation and CEO forum.
The SWA has long advocated the benefits of a free trade deal between the UK and India, arguing that India’s 150% import tariff on alcohol restricts the growth of Scotch whisky.
According to the association, India is a fast-growing market for Scotch whisky, with volume exports in the first half of this year increasing by 41% to the equivalent of 41 million bottles, and value exports increasing 28% to £43m.
However, Scotch only currently makes up around 1% of the total spirits market in India.
“I’m delighted to join the prime minister’s visit to India with other senior UK business people,” said the SWA’s Dickson. “It’s an excellent opportunity to find out more about India’s economy and its attitude to trade. It should help more Scotch whisky producers access this important and growing market.
“It’s also a chance to highlight the importance of a UK-India free trade deal. A cut in the 150% import tariff would give a major boost to Scotch whisky. A further increase in Scotch exports to India would have a positive impact on the entire UK economy, given our position as the biggest single net contributor to the UK’s trade balance in goods.”
The SWA is also encouraging the UK government to ensure global trading arrangements are better post-Brexit than those already in place.
“Brexit poses challenges and uncertainty but also brings opportunities if the UK can secure favourable bilateral agreements with such export markets,” added Dickson.
Last month, the SWA announced that its chief executive, David Frost, was resigning in order to begin a new role as advisor to foreign secretary Boris Johnson – one of the key figures in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
The SWA campaigned against the Brexit vote, claiming the UK’s membership in the EU is “central to Scotch whisky’s success”.