India Trade Policy

US revises fact sheet: $500 bn clause softened, 'certain pulses' dropped

Update softens language on India's $500 bn purchases plan, bringing it in line with joint statement issued by both countries

India to grant import duty concessions on select US agricultural products

India has agreed to provide import duty concessions to certain US agricultural products such as dried distillers' grains (DDGs), red sorghum and apples for animal feed. According to a joint statement, India and the US have agreed on a framework for the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement, which is expected to be signed by mid-March. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal told reporters that India will provide quota-based tariff concessions on US agricultural products such as DDGs, soybean oil, apples, long staple cotton and soybean oil. "We have opened our markets for the US in a calibrated manner on some products like Distiller's Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS), wines and spirits in which we have kept a minimum import price also," Goyal said. When asked if DDG's have GM (genetically modified) soymeal, the minister assured that the environment ministry has prescribed processes on allowing the import of GM materials in India, which will be followed. According to the US Grains an

Trade talks with US expected to conclude during the year: Economic Survey

Ongoing negotiations for a trade agreement with the US are expected to conclude during the year, a development that could help reduce uncertainty on the external front, according to Economic Survey 2025-26. For India, it said, the global conditions translate into external uncertainties rather than immediate macroeconomic stress. Slower growth in key trading partners, tariff-induced disruptions to trade and volatility in capital flows could intermittently weigh on exports and investor sentiment, the Survey said. "At the same time, ongoing trade negotiations with the United States are expected to conclude during the year, which could help reduce uncertainty on the external front," it said. India and the US are negotiating a bilateral trade agreement since March last year. So far, six rounds of negotiations have been held. Talks are going slow as the Trump-administration has imposed a steep 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods from August last year. A delegation from the office of the

A big deal: The India-EU partnership will open up new opportunities

India and EU seal historic free trade deal, opening vast markets and cooperation avenues while urging India to boost competitiveness and reforms

India, Russia likely to achieve $100 billion trade target by 2030: Envoy

India and Russia are moving confidently to achieve a target of USD 100 billion in bilateral trade by 2030 and steps are being taken to expand the trade basket, Ambassador Vinay Kumar said on Monday. "The past year has been particularly active. We had a very successful visit of President (Vladimir) Putin. Achieving the bilateral trade target of USD 100 billion by 2030 is eminently possible," Ambassador Kumar said while talking to PTI on India's 77th Republic Day. "Steps are being taken, including identification of new items, and a free trade agreement will facilitate the achievement of this target," he added, noting that trade has increased with new opportunities in fertilisers, agriculture and engineering. According to reports, in FY 202425, India-Russia bilateral trade reached a record high of approximately USD 68.7 billion due to massive import of Russian crude. "More of the trade is being conducted already in the national currencies and this trend will continue as we further dee

India's exports dream likely to run into the hard wall of realities

Tripling India's exports by 2035 needs tiger-like performance, open markets and ruthless reform-conditions history suggests India does not yet have

Signing free-trade deals is not enough to secure real economic gains

FTAs can open doors, but real gains will depend on domestic factors

India-Germany sign pacts to strengthen ties across defence, tech, energy

India and Germany signed multiple agreements during Chancellor Friedrich Merz's visit, covering defence, semiconductors, critical minerals, green energy and mobility

Trade, talent, tech on table as Friedrich Merz's visit begins on Monday

India, Germany to advance deals in semiconductors, green energy, mobility

Cloudy skies over US-EU trade deals: India prepares for headwinds

Amid political turmoil in the US and EU, India's hopes of quick trade deals face growing uncertainty, calling for realism and preparation for worst-case scenarios

Why India-US bilateral trade arrangement is taking so long to conclude

Security dependence, not trade policy, explains Washington's speed with others, and why India is holding its ground

India in talks with US to join Pax Silica silicon supply chain block

After being left out initially, India is now in talks with the US to join the Pax Silica silicon supply chain initiative, with a US official signalling possible entry in early 2026 as the bloc expands

Rolling back QCOs fixes the damage, but it is not the same as reform

India's rollback of quality control orders eases supply disruptions and export costs, but highlights deeper policy incoherence and recurring inward-looking trade interventions

India-Oman trade agreement opens the door to social security talks

In 2024, India's bilateral services trade with Oman stood at $863 million, with exports of $665 million and imports of $198 million, resulting in a surplus of $447 million for India

'India-Sweden economic corridor positioned for robust expansion'

This optimistic outlook builds on the fact that Swedish companies invested a total of $2.5 bn in India over the last six years, highlighting the expanding economic corridor between the two nations

DPIIT chief asks industry to make realistic demands on deregulation, safety

DPIIT secretary Amardeep Singh Bhatia urged industry to seek "realistic" regulatory relaxations, balancing ease of doing business with public safety, as panels review laws to cut compliance burden

India's economic rise will be shaped 'at, from and by the sea': Navy chief

Emphasising the scale of global ocean-based commerce, the Navy chief noted that maritime trade has grown more than fivefold in recent decades, reaching 12.3 billion tonnes in 2023

India's quiet rollback of trade barriers eases worry for global partners

The government argued that, since it was facing a flood of imports from China, it needed to ensure that these were of sufficient quality to meet Indian standards

India's exports face higher risk due to climate inaction, warns BCG

India's export-driven businesses in sectors such as aluminium, iron and steel that face international regulatory shocks are increasingly exposed to risk due to climate inaction threatening their profits, operations, and long-term viability, according to global consulting firm BCG. India is among the top 10 countries most affected by extreme weather events, as the 'Climate Risk Index 2026' launched at COP30 reveals, and the cost of inaction for India is too big to ignore, BCG Managing Director and Senior Partner, Asia Pacific Leader, Climate & Sustainability, Sumit Gupta, told PTI in an emailed interview. Citing data from RBI and WEF 2024, he said 4.5 per cent of India's GDP by 2030 is at massive risk of erosion due to climate-induced extreme events, and by the end of the century, climate-related challenges could cost India between 6.4 per cent and over 10 per cent of its national income. "Businesses face the direct brunt of these risks," he said, adding that due to climate-induced

India, Afghanistan to establish joint chamber to deepen trade ties

India and Afghanistan have agreed to set up a joint chamber of commerce and industry, revive trade mechanisms, and expand cooperation across sectors during Afghan Minister Azizi's visit