North Bengal is well positioned to play a larger role in the expanding India–UK trade partnership, particularly under the proposed India–UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), British Deputy High Commissioner to Kolkata Dr. Andrew Fleming said on Friday. Speaking at the 9th edition of the CII India Tea Forum 2026 in Siliguri, Fleming said the UK–India relationship is increasingly driven by alignment and long-term collaboration rather than just scale. On his first full-fledged business visit to North Bengal, Fleming highlighted the region’s strengths in tea, agriculture, logistics, tourism and services, calling them natural drivers for deeper trade ties. He noted that Indian SMEs have succeeded in the UK by meeting standards and building trust, while British SMEs have grown in India through partnerships and long-term commitment. Fleming encouraged more small and medium enterprises from North Bengal to form direct partnerships with UK counterparts.
CII West Bengal State Council Chairman Debashis Dutta said recent land reforms by the West Bengal government, which increased land allocation in tea gardens for tea tourism to 30 per cent, could significantly boost foreign tourist arrivals. He added that the tea sector in North Bengal includes over 3.5 lakh registered MSMEs and provides direct employment to nearly 3 lakh workers, with thousands more dependent on allied activities. CII North Bengal Zonal Council Chairman Pradeep Singhal stressed that coordinated efforts on tax relief, research funding and green incentives could further accelerate sectoral growth.
In Siliguri, traders and logistics players view the forum as timely, with Siliguri emerging as a key commercial and distribution hub linking tea-producing regions with domestic and export markets. Improved trade access under CETA and rising tea tourism are expected to increase demand for packaging, transport, warehousing and allied services in the Siliguri market. The two-day forum discussed sustainability, innovation, exports, tea tourism and global market trends, and also saw the release of a CII knowledge paper on North Bengal’s tea heritage and future outlook.
