Stakeholder discussions with Alcobev Sector on India-UK Trade Agreement

Trade Promotion Council of India in partnership with ICRIER organised a Stakeholder Consultation with the Alcobev industry to discuss the India-UK Trade Agreement on December 16, 2021. The discussion aimed to understand the perspectives of Indian and multinational companies to the trade agreement, as well as the business environment in both markets for the industry. 

Trade Promotion Council of India organised a focused discussion with Indian and international players in the Alcoholic Beverages (Alcobev) Industry in partnership with Indian Council for Research in International Economic Relations on December 16.  The session aimed to ascertain their views on the India-UK Trade Agreement, negotiations for which are due to begin in early 2022, and how it could impact the alcoholic beverages industry.

Some of the focus areas under discussion were as follows:

• Current trends, projected growth, and trends in Indian alcohol market.
• Benefits/potential challenges for Indian/UK companies from the opening of markets, if formalised under the ongoing FTA negotiations.
• Challenges due to tariff/non-tariff barriers, government procurement, GI issues, etc in both markets.
• Collaboration opportunities can be explored by alcohol companies in India and the UK that can be mutually rewarding?
• Growth prospects for the industry under the vision of Aatma Nirbhar Bharat and Make in India
• Specific issues to be addressed at central/state level.
• Collaboration opportunities can be explored by alcohol companies in India and the UK that can be mutually rewarding?

Following is the list of prominent panelists who were a part of the discussion:

• Vinod Giri, Director General, CIABC
• Nita Kapoor, CEO, International Spirits and Wines Association Of India (ISWAI)
• Prem Dewan, CMD, Devans Modern Breweries Ltd
• Sanjeev Banga, President – International Business at Radico Khaitan Ltd
• Vijay Kauthekar, Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing, John Distilleries Ltd.
• Rajesh Singh, Vice President & Head of International Business, Allied Blenders & Distillers Pvt. Ltd.
• Karun Kaura, CMD, Kaya Spirits
• Rahul Singh, Founder & CEO, Beer Café
• Suresh Menon, Secretary General, ISWAI
• Keshav Prakash (Importer), Founder, Vault Fine Spirits
• Anand Vijay Jha, SVP & Chief Corporate Affairs Officer United Breweries Ltd.
• Yashika Singh, Vice President, Corporate Affairs at Pernod Ricard India
• Monojit Mukherjee, General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Pernod Ricard India

Deepak Mishra, Director and Chief Executive, ICRIER and Dr Arpita Mukherjee, Professor, ICRIER represented the prominent policy think tank at these discussions. The session was moderated by Virat Bahri, Deputy Director, Media & Corporate Communications, Trade Promotion Council of India.