India-US trade deal
No concession on key farm imports in India-US trade deal - Minister Chouhan
This story was originally published at 22:42 IST on 17 February 2026
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NEW DELHI – The government will not grant import concessions on key farm commodities under the proposed India-US trade agreement, Agriculture Minister Shivaraj Singh Chouhan said, dismissing speculations around the proposed trade deal. He said farmers' interests will not be compromised and that "the door is firmly closed" on sensitive crops like wheat, rice, maize, and dairy, according to the agriculture ministry release.
On apples, Chouhan said India already imports the fruit from Turkey and Iran. Allowing a modest import quota of 100,000 tonnes for US apples, against India's annual requirement of 550,000 tonnes, would not hurt farmers in regions such as Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir, the release said. Imports would also attract a duty of INR 25 over the import value of INR 80 per kg, it added.
In case of cotton, the minister said imports are necessary to meet the needs of the domestic textile industry, boost employment, and increase apparel exports. While concessions have been proposed on US soybean oil, the minister clarified that Indian oilseeds and foodgrains such as soybean and maize are protected under the trade framework.
Speaking at Jaipur, Rajasthan, a major spices grower, Chouhan ruled out imports of cumin, fenugreek, and psyllium, and said efforts are underway to expand spices export to the US at zero duty.
Under the proposed India-US trade deal, India has opened market access for select farm products such as apples, cotton, soybean oil, and distillers' dried grains, through tariff rate quotas. In return, US has agreed to cut reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from 25?rlier and scrap the 25% punitive tariffs imposed in August for New Delhi's energy ties with Russia. End
Reported by Afra Abubacker
Edited by Akul Nishant Akhoury
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