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US Trade Deals
India and the US have decided to reschedule the proposed meeting of their chief negotiators in Washington to finalise the text of the interim trade pact, sources said on Sunday. The Indian team was scheduled to start the three-day meeting on February 23. "With regards to the visit of the Indian team of negotiators to the US for the India-US Trade Deal, the two sides are of the view that the proposed visit of the Indian Chief Negotiator and the team be scheduled after each side has had the time to evaluate the latest developments and their implications. The meeting will be rescheduled at a mutually convenient date," a source said. The development is important following the US Supreme Court verdict against the earlier sweeping tariffs of the Trump administration. Trump on Friday imposed 10 per cent tariffs on all countries, including India, from February 24 for 150 days. On Saturday, he announced to hike the duty to 15 per cent.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday said the recent India-US trade deal was finalised after careful consideration and the government has ensured that no decision would harm the farming community. Speaking at a programme in Jaipur, he said, "I am speaking with full responsibility as the Agriculture Minister of India. In the trade agreement, we have taken complete care of the interests of Indian farmers. It has been ensured that there will be no loss for India's farming community," he said. On imports, Chouhan said the country has to bring in the things it need. "Even today, we are not self-sufficient when it comes to pulses. If something that we need comes from another country, what is the objection?" he asked. Similarly, he said, India imports around 5.5 lakh metric tonnes of apples. "They come from countries like Turkey and Iran. If one lakh metric tonnes come from the United States, after ensuring that it does not affect our farmers, what is the problem?"
The office of the US Trade Representative has removed a social media post that featured a map of India showing the entire region of Jammu and Kashmir, including Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, as well as the Aksai Chin region as part of the Indian territory. Last week, as the US and India announced details of a bilateral interim agreement framework on trade, the US Trade Representative's office posted information about the trade deal on the social media website X, along with a map of India. The map had shown the entire region of Jammu and Kashmir, including Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), as territory of India. Similarly, the Aksai Chin region, claimed by China, was also shown as part of the Indian territory. However, the specific post showing the map of India has now been deleted from the USTR's X handle. On previous occasions, maps of India had been shown with a demarcated line to portray the PoK and Aksai Chin region. But the map of India issued by the USTR had shown the entire regi
India has always negotiated with a "clear mindset" on sectors that are "very" sensitive for the country in trade pacts and has protected all those key segments under the interim trade agreement with the US, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said. He also said that both teams are working to convert the joint statement into a legal agreement, which is expected to be finalised and signed before the end of March. "India has always negotiated all agreements with a clear mindset, anything that is very sensitive to India, anything where we feel our farmers, fishermen, dairy, they are going to be impacted, we have been very clear to our partner countries that India can not open up or provide access," he told reporters here. "If you look at all the agreements that we have done in the last year, five trade agreements that we did -- all the sensitive sectors have been protected. In the US, all the key sensitive sectors have been protected. Wherever there is a little sensitivity, we have used
The Congress on Wednesday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the India-US interim trade agreement, saying the deal is a steal by the "PM's good friend in Washington" and reflects an "abject failure" of our "political huglomacy" as well as economic diplomacy. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said no matter what spin the "PM and his lie-brigade" may give, the hard reality is that the US has extracted more from India than it has conceded. "It is significant that a number of independent analysts and commentators -- who have not been Modi-unfriendly -- have criticised the India-US trade deal as a capitulation, an asymmetrical set of commitments, a sell-out, and a humiliating cave-in," Ramesh said. "Whatever the spin that the PM and his lie-brigade may give, the hard reality is that the US has extracted more from India than it has conceded. This is inspite of Mr. Modi's aggressive wooing of President Trump, including campaigning for him in
The White House has hailed a new trade agreement with India, saying the country has committed to "no longer" purchasing Russian oil, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi also agreeing on investments of USD 500 billion across key American sectors. These remarks were made by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday. "The President struck another great trade deal with India. He spoke with Prime Minister Modi directly. They share a very good relationship. India is committed to not only no longer purchasing Russian oil, but buying oil from the United States, also perhaps from Venezuela too, which we know will now have a direct benefit on the United States and the American people," Leavitt told reporters Tuesday. She further said that in addition to that, Prime Minister Modi "committed to $500 billion of investments into the United States, including for transportation, for energy and for agricultural products as well. So this is another great trade deal thanks to President ...
The US said India will lower tariffs on a "vast array" of American industrial and agricultural goods, such as "fruits, vegetables", to zero per cent under the trade deal announced by President Donald Trump. The US described this as a "big win" while noting that India will continue to control "certain key areas" that enjoy protection. "This is it. The time has come, and now we have the deal. We'll finish papering it, but we know the specifics. We know the details. It's a very exciting opportunity," United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Tuesday in an interview to CNBC Squawk Box. Greer said that the US will continue to maintain some level of tariff against India - 18 per cent - "because we have this giant trade deficit with them, but they've also agreed to reduce their tariffs for us on a variety of agricultural products, manufactured goods, chemicals, medical devices, etc. It's an exciting opportunity for both countries," he said. Giving details of the deal, Greer .
Moody's Ratings on Tuesday said the reduction of the US tariff rate on most Indian goods is credit positive for labour-intensive sectors such as gems, jewellery, textiles and apparel, which are the top export sectors. India and the US have agreed to a trade deal under which Washington will bring down reciprocal tariff on Indian goods to 18 per cent from current 25 per cent, US President Donald Trump said on Monday after a phone conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Moody's in a statement said the trade deal will reinvigorate India's goods export growth to the US, which remains the country's largest goods export market, accounting for about 21 per cent of India's total goods exports for the first 11 months of 2025. "Lower tariff rate will also be credit positive for labour-intensive sectors such as gems, jewellery, textiles and apparel, which rank the top export sectors," it said. However, pharmaceuticals and consumer electronics, the other two major export sectors, had be
India's seafood exports to the United States are expected to recover, following months of declining shipments, after Washington agreed to cut tariffs to 18 per cent from 25 per cent, the Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI) said on Tuesday. Fish exports to the US fell 15 per cent by volume to 201,501 tonnes in the April-November period of the current fiscal year, while value declined 6.3 per cent to USD 1.72 billion from USD 1.84 billion a year earlier, SEAI General Secretary K N Raghavan said. "The field has become level again, exports should get the boost," Raghavan told PTI. "We expect that with tariffs coming down to 18 per cent, we should get back to the previous levels." The decline came after the US imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods in August 2025 - the highest for any Asian country - including a 25 per cent penalty linked to India's purchase of Russian oil. During the period of elevated tariffs, Indian exporters were fulfilling existing contracts, but ne
The India-US trade deal adds meaningful momentum to India's growth ambitions and supports the country's ambition to be a globally competitive manufacturing and innovation hub, industry leaders said on Tuesday. Reacting to the trade agreement between the two countries, Mahindra Group CEO & Managing Director Anish Shah welcomed the development, terming it as "a significant step forward in strengthening bilateral trade and investment ties." "With the Indian economy on a strong growth trajectory, this deal adds meaningful momentum to India's growth ambitions," he noted. Shah further said, "The immediate reduction in reciprocal tariffs on Indian exports to 18 per cent, along with the commitment to progressively lower tariff and non-tariff barriers, will boost growth momentum and improve the predictability businesses need to invest with confidence." Expressing similar views, Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla said the reduced tariffs will help strengthen the strategic and .
The Indian Rice Exporters Federation (IREF) on Tuesday expressed optimism over a proposed reduction in United States import tariffs on Indian goods to 18 per cent, down from the earlier 25 per cent. The federation expects this move to restore price parity with competing nations and significantly boost shipment volumes. According to IREF National President Prem Garg, the revised tariff structure would place India on a par with competitors like Thailand and Pakistan, which currently face duties of approximately 19 per cent. "The move to lower tariffs from the earlier 25 per cent to 18 per cent is a significant victory for price parity. This effectively neutralised the duty disadvantage we faced against competitors like Thailand and Pakistan. " Indian rice can now compete on a level playing field in one of our most high-value markets," exporter RiceVilla Group's CEO Suraj Agarwal said. The industry is also hopeful that a potential penalty related to India's purchase of Russian oil be
The Congress on Tuesday demanded that the Modi government should take Parliament into confidence and the text of both the EU and US trade deals must be laid on the table of both Houses and debated. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said that from the information President Donald Trump has provided, it is abundantly clear that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has "completely surrendered". He said that almost exactly a year ago, Prime Minister Modi landed at the White House to greet President Trump on his re-election. "His trademark huglomacy was on full display. India-US relations never appeared brighter. Negotiations for a trade deal started immediately thereafter.But ever since President Trump made the first announcement of the halt to Operation Sindoor on the evening of May 10, 2025 things began to go downhill," Ramesh said on X. Subsequently, President Trump embraced Pakistan and Field Marshall Asim Munir enthusiastically, "exposing the hollowness of