revealed that Indian businesspeople are interested in investing in Peru's mining projects as well as in the agricultural sector.
"We have the political will of the Indian authorities to move forward with this Free Trade Agreement more swiftly," she stated.
The minister noted that the FTA with India is of great significance for Peru, as the Asian country represents a market of 1.45 billion people with enormous potential demand for Peruvian exports.
"Thus, tomorrow, March 27, negotiations will resume through the first meeting with the Indian team, in which we will outline the schedule for upcoming meetings with the aim of finalizing an FTA this year," she specified.
Furthermore, the Cabinet member said that, during her visit to India, she held meetings with businesspeople interested in investing in Peru.
"We have investors interested in many of our mining projects, as well as agricultural investors looking to set up plants in the country," Leon emphasized.
"This shows that Peru is being viewed as a country open to investment, with economic stability, and as a nation where we can attract investment," she added.
The Mincetur head stated that Peru and India have trade relations, which grew by more than 80% in 2024. Therefore, having an instrument such as an FTA is important for both Peruvian and Indian companies.
"This treaty had been on hold. We had conducted negotiations up to the last rounds in 2024, but political changes in the country stalled progress. We reached the seventh round, and it was truly important to resume negotiations and continue opening markets for Peru," she indicated.
The minister stated that the FTA will boost bilateral trade with India, which in 2024 exceeded US$5.7 billion, with US$4.7 billion accounted for by Peruvian exports.
"The main products we export to India include gold, which accounted for 89% of our exports to that country, followed by copper, tin, and silver," Leon detailed.
"However, this Free Trade Agreement opens up opportunities mainly for our agricultural sector, which still has enormous unmet demand. Of all the agricultural products India imports, we are currently supplying only 0.7%," she explained.
The Cabinet member stated that Peruvian exports will increase significantly through an FTA, offering greater opportunities for blueberries, grapes, avocados, cacao beans, and other products.
"Additionally, there are investment opportunities in other mining products, as well as in the digital economy and services, including manufacturing services that we can also offer," she said.
Minister Leon highlighted that Peru has very high-quality products, which are rarely surpassed by those of other countries.
"We also had the opportunity to meet with the Indian Minister of Tourism and Culture, where we (agreed to) update our agreement, which has been in effect for over 16 years, to attract more tourists from India and explore ways to offer specialized tourism (services) for visitors from that part of Asia," she pointed out.
Remarks were made on Wednesday afternoon following the Council of Ministers' session at the Government Palace in Lima.
FTA with El Salvador and Guatemala
"This week, a Peruvian negotiating team is already in El Salvador, and we have also established how these negotiation rounds will take place," Leon stated.
"We are holding our first negotiation round and agreeing on the scheduled dates for upcoming meetings," she added.
Moreover, the government official announced that an FTA with Guatemala is close to being finalized. The respective document is currently undergoing legal review of all its clauses.
"We also hope to sign it later this year. This comes alongside other agreements we are working on, such as those with Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates," she pointed out.