PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, (CMC) – The Trinidad and Tobago government Friday said it intends to become the first Caribbean Community (Caricom) country to enter into a partial scope trade agreement with India.

Trinidad’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar, speaking at the joint sitting of the Parliament in honour of India’s Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, said that the two countries stand uniquely poised; with India as the world’s most populous nation and a top-four economy, while Trinidad and Tobago stands as the Eastern Caribbean’s largest economy and gateway to CARICOM and Latin America.

“Both are vibrant, diverse democracies committed to inclusion, education, and progress and our theme “Two Nations with Historical Bonds and a Shared Future” is therefore a call to purposeful action,”  she told the ceremony.

Persad Bissessar said that bilateral trade between Trinidad and Tobago and India reached a record TT$1.2 billion in the last fiscal year.

Trinidad and Tobago exports energy products, including ammonia, liquified natural gas (LNG)  and methanol, while importing pharmaceuticals, textiles, and industrial goods from India.

“As we look ahead, we aim to expand our exports to tap into India’s market of 1.4 billion consumers. We are also pursuing a partial scope trade agreement, the first from a CARICOM country and laying the foundation for a new bilateral investment treaty,” Persad Bissessar said.

She said India’s status as the world’s pharmacy is well established, with institutions like Serum Institute and Cipla saving lives globally.

“We are partnering with Indian pharmaceutical leaders to establish local drug manufacturing facilities, biotech parks, and telemedicine networks, thereby enhancing health resilience and creating high-quality jobs.

“India has also pledged support for, among other initiatives, a Jaipur Foot camp, dialysis units, and sea ambulances, initiatives that will directly benefit our communities,” Persad Bissessar said.