On October 1, 2025, Commerce Secretary Shri Rajesh Agrawal inaugurated the Coffee Experience Zone and Expo organized by the Coffee Board on International Coffee Day. He highlighted the sustainability of Indian coffee, cultivated in conjunction with forests, and noted that Indian coffee exports have doubled in recent years. Shri Agrawal emphasized diversification and innovation in coffee cultivation and export to position "Brand India" strongly in the global market.
The event coincided with the implementation of the India–EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA), offering new opportunities for Indian coffee to access premium markets in Switzerland, Norway, and Iceland. These EFTA countries together import coffee valued at USD 175 million (3% of global coffee imports). Liechtenstein trade data is unavailable.
EFTA countries maintain a 0% import duty on all HS lines pertaining to Coffee under Chapter -0901 and Chapter 21 (HS 210111 & HS 210112) under India-EFTA TEPA. India has retained Chapter -0901 under the exclusion list (100% MFN rate retained) but applied staging categories viz., ‘E7’ for Iceland and ‘E5’ for Norway and Switzerland to extend preferential duty.
**India's Coffee Exports to EFTA member countries (USD million):**
| Country | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 |
| ----------- | ------- | ------- | ------- | ------- | ------- |
| Switzerland | 9.59 | 6.56 | 6.00 | 5.04 | 6.64 |
| Norway | 0.69 | 0.54 | 1.07 | 0.80 | 0.98 |
| Iceland | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Liechtenstein| 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Contact: Abhishek Dayal/Abhijith Narayanan/Shabbir Azad (Release ID: 2173791)
Key Entities Referenced
India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA): A trade agreement providing favorable market access for Indian coffee in premium markets, specifically Switzerland, Norway and Iceland.
Coffee Board: An organization involved in the Coffee Experience Zone and Expo, and responsible for coffee trade data.
Switzerland: An EFTA member country providing market access for Indian coffee via the India-EFTA TEPA.
Norway: An EFTA member country providing market access for Indian coffee via the India-EFTA TEPA.
Iceland: An EFTA member country providing market access for Indian coffee via the India-EFTA TEPA.
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
Commerce Secretary inaugurates Coffee Expo;
highlights doubling of Indian coffee exports in recent
years
India-EFTA TEPA to provide favorable market
access for Indian coffee in premium markets
Commerce Secretary calls for diversification,
innovation and value addition in coffee sector
Indian coffee stands out globally for its sustainability,
being cultivated in conjunction with forests:
Commerce Secretary
Posted On: 01 OCT 2025 6:52PM by PIB Delhi
Commerce Secretary Shri Rajesh Agrawal inaugurated the Coffee Experience Zone and Expo organized by
the Coffee Board on the occasion of International Coffee Day. Speaking on the occasion, the Commerce
Secretary highlighted that Indian coffee is sustainable and is grown in conjunction with forests. He noted that
coffee exports from India have doubled in recent years.
Shri Agrawal emphasized the need for greater diversification in the area of coffee cultivation. He stated that
with a fast-rising middle class, increased domestic consumption of coffee is only a matter of time. The
Commerce Secretary further observed that value addition in coffee is taking place, with new entrepreneurs
entering the sector in areas such as instant coffee and specialty coffee. He underlined the need to continue
innovating and adding value, pointing out that India, being a land of spices, has immense opportunities to
innovate with coffee. He stressed that apart from exporting coffee, it is also important to work on “Brand
India” and position the country strongly in the global market.
The event coincides with the implementation of the India–EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement
(TEPA), which provides new opportunities for Indian coffee to access premium markets in Switzerland,
Norway and Iceland.
Among the EFTA member countries, Switzerland and Norway are high-value markets with strong demand for
high quality coffees. India-EFTA TEPA may provide most favorable market access to Indian Coffees in
EFTA market. India EFTA TEPA may help the coffee exporters to access the premium markets in
Switzerland, Norway and Iceland with the opportunity for positioning India’s high quality shade grown, hand
picked and sun dried coffees in EFTA market.
EFTA member countries viz., Switzerland (USD 145 million), Norway (USD 27 million) and Iceland (USD 3million) together import coffee valued at USD 175 million, which is about 3% of the global coffee imports.
However, Liechtenstein trade data is not available with the Coffee Board.
India’s Coffee Exports to EFTA member countries during last five years is as under:
2020-21
2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25
Country ( U S D
(USD million) (USD million) (USD million) (USD million)
million)
Switzerland 9.59 6.56 6.00 5.04 6.64
Norway 0.69 0.54 1.07 0.80 0.98
Iceland 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Liechtenstein 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
EFTA countries (Switzerland, Norway and Iceland) kept Import Duty of 0% on all the HS lines pertaining to
Coffee under Chapter -0901 and Chapter 21 (HS 210111 & HS 210112) under India-EFTA TEPA.
Indian side kept Chapter -0901 under exclusion list (100% MFN rate retained) under India-EFTA TEPA.
However, Indian side applied staging categories viz., ‘E7’ for Iceland and ‘E5’ for Norway and Switzerland to
extend preferential duty in equal annual instalments beginning on the date of entry into force of the
Agreement for the HS lines pertaining HS 20111and HS 210112.
*****
Abhishek Dayal/Abhijith Narayanan/Shabbir Azad
(Release ID: 2173791)