The Commerce Department has begun an exercise to identify gaps in India’s testing, certification and accreditation ecosystem as it looks to strengthen quality infrastructure and help exporters fully leverage opportunities arising from the expanding network of free trade agreements (FTAs).“Meetings are being held with various industry bodies to discuss sector-specific issues relating to product testing, certification, accreditation, availability of laboratories, compliance with international standards and any other difficulties encountered while exporting,” a source told businessline.The exercise is significant as India is stepping up implementation of recently concluded free trade agreements, including with developed countries, and negotiating several more, while seeking to improve the competitiveness of domestic industry in overseas markets.“India’s FTAs with EFTA countries, including Switzerland and Norway, the UK and Australia are already implemented. Ones with the EU and New Zealand are expected to be soon operational. Indian exporters can take advantage of the tariff cuts in these markets only when they meet their quality norms and standards. For that it is necessary that India has the required number of testing laboratories and robust certification framework,” the source said.Exporters have been asked to highlight issues relating to product testing, certification, accreditation, availability of laboratories, compliance with international standards and any other difficulties encountered while exporting. “The feedback will be used to formulate policy interventions to strengthen India’s testing infrastructure and facilitate exports,” the source said.The exercise is also expected to support the government’s broader objective of building a robust quality ecosystem that enables Indian exporters to integrate more effectively into global value chains while reducing dependence on overseas testing facilities, the source added.Published on August 5, 2026