US delegation to visit India for trade negotiations on Aug 25, says official

A US government delegation will visit India on August 25 to hold discussions on the Bilateral Trade Agreement announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s US visit in February, a Commerce Ministry official said.

India and the US have held five rounds of talks, the last being in Washington DC, from July 14 to July 18.

Earlier, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told the US media that more talks were needed. He appreciated India’s willingness to discuss opening parts of its market, but pointed out that New Delhi’s trade policies were still largely protectionist.

The US is advocating reduced tariffs on its industrial goods, electric vehicles, dairy products, wines, apples, tree nuts and genetically modified crops. In contrast, India remains steadfast in maintaining high tariffs on agricultural and dairy products, with some farmer groups urging the government to exclude agriculture from the agreement entirely.

As per the joint statement issued in February, India and US have set a goal to more than double the bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030.

Both sides announced plans to negotiate the first tranche of a mutually beneficial, multi-sector agreement by the fall of 2025. The negotiations began in March.

As both sides work on an interim deal, the US seeks to reduce its around $45 billion trade deficit with India , while India aims for exemptions from US reciprocal tariffs.