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Informist, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026

 

--Trade secy: Delegation from India to visit US next wk to finalise pact 

--Trade secy: Aim to sign legal pact with US for trade deal in Mar 

--Trade secy: Expect US to soon cut reciprocal tariff to 18% from 25% 

--Trade secy:US to scrap reciprocal duty on some pdts after deal signing Mar

 

NEW DELHI – A delegation of Indian officials, led by chief negotiator and Joint Secretary at the commerce ministry Darpan Jain, will visit Washington next week to finalise the contours of the recently concluded interim trade deal, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said Monday. Both sides aim to sign the agreement in March, Agrawal added.

 

Under the trade deal, the US has committed to cut reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from 25?rlier. Since the conclusion of the deal, the White House has also scrapped the 25% penal tariff levied on India for New Delhi's strategic partnership with Russia. The US had imposed overall 50% tariff on Indian goods in August.

 

The White House is expected to issue an executive order soon to cut the reciprocal tariffs, Agrawal said. In case there's a delay, the Indian delegation will take up the matter next week in Washington, he added. 

 

The US will scrap reciprocal tariffs on some products, such as garments and textile, after the signing of the deal, the trade secretary said.

 

Meanwhile, India has offered to buy $500 billion worth of goods from the US over the next five years under the trade deal. New Delhi has opened market access for only select farm products, and there is a tariff rate quota on the farm items which are "even slightly sensitive", including Distillers Dried Grains, another commerce ministry official said, on conditions of anonymity. "We have not agreed to allow market access on genetically modified DDGs," the official added. 

 

New Delhi is also looking to keep a minimum import price on raw cotton under the US trade deal, the official said. Cotton and yarn imported for processing and exporting back to the US will enjoy the benefit of nil duty under the trade deal. The US has committed to buy such garments at nil reciprocal tariff. 

 

India and the US aim to continue negotiations for a broader Bilateral Trade Agreement after the signing of the latest interim deal. Both sides may include subjects related to digital trade in the broader deal, the official said, adding that no discussions have taken place so far on the subject.  End

 

US$1 = INR 90.65

 

Reported by Krity Ambey

Edited by Tanima Banerjee

 

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