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Informist, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025

 

--Govt:India-US had positive, forward looking talks on aspects of trade deal 

--CONTEXT: India, US held talks for trade deal on Tue in New Delhi

--Govt: India-US agreed to intensify efforts to conclude trade deal early 
 

NEW DELHI – India and the US agreed to intensify efforts for an early conclusion of the Bilateral Trade Agreement that was proposed in February, the commerce ministry said Tuesday after a day-long discussion between the chief negotiators of both countries in New Delhi. US Assistant Trade Representative for South and Central Asia Brendan Lynch met Commerce Ministry Special Secretary Rajesh Agrawal.

 

"Acknowledging the enduring importance of bilateral trade between India and the US, the discussions were positive and forward-looking covering various aspects of the trade deal," the ministry said in a release. The two sides sat at the negotiation table for the first time after the US imposed 50% tariff on Indian goods in August.

 

After five rounds of negotiations between March and July, the trade talks were paused last month following disagreement on the farm sector with the White House cancelling Lynch's visit to New Delhi scheduled for Aug. 25. According to New Delhi, the US wanted access to India's politically- and socially-sensitive farm and dairy sector under the trade deal. New Delhi was unwilling to yield.

 

The two sides confirmed the resumption of trade talks just last week. While initiating the Bilateral Trade Agreement in February, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump had agreed to conclude a tranche of the deal by the fall of 2025. Time and again, other ministers in the Modi government, including Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, have said the two sides will conclude a deal by November.

 

As the talks resume, it is to be seen how soon a deal is sealed so that Washington removes, or at least lowers, the additional tariffs imposed on Indian goods. Currently, the tariffs cast a long shadow on nearly $50 billion worth of Indian goods exports to the US from labour-intensive sectors such as chemicals and fertilisers, textiles and apparel, gems and jewellery, shrimp and seafood, furniture and beddings, and machinery and mechanical appliances. In the financial year 2024-25 (Apr-Mar), India had exported $86.51 billion worth of goods to the US and had a trade surplus of $40.82 billion.  End

 

US$1 = INR 88.05

 

Reported by Krity Ambey

Edited by Rajeev Pai

 

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