US, EU deals to give $400-billion boost to agriculture: Govt

Top government officials on Monday said India’s current agricultural export to the US was worth $2.8 billion as against $1.5 billion imports. Cumulative import of agricultural commodities to India is $35 billion as against exports of $52 billion.

“The trade agreements (with the US and EU) have opened up markets worth $400 billion. A massive opportunity is being unleashed for the Indian agricultural sector,” said a top Commerce Ministry official.

Trade data released by the Commerce Ministry said Indian agriculture exports to the EU were already rising, with marine products, coffee, tea and spices and resins dominating the charts.

Indian exports of fish and other aquatic invertebrates to the EU have risen from $632 million in April-December 2023, to $982 million in April-December 2025 — a jump of 55 per cent; coffee, tea, spices exports have gone up in the corresponding periods from $489 million to $773 million and that of lac, gums, resins and vegetable saps from $121 million to $173 million.

Exports of cereals from India to the 27 bloc EU rose from $191 million in April-December 2023 to $339 million in the same period in 2025.

“Our farmers will have new opportunities to export both in the 18 per cent tariff bracket and in the zero percent tariff segment. We now have zero duty now on all spices, tea, coffee, copra, coconut and coconut oil, vegetable bags, nuts like areca nuts, brazil nuts, chestnuts, cashew nuts, many fruits and vegetables like avocados, bananas where we produce large quantities, guava, mango, kiwi, papaya, pineapple, for the hill regions shiitake mushrooms,” Commerce Ministry said.

The officials said many vegetable plaiting materials, vegetable sap, vegetable and certain roots like taro, bambara beans, cereals like barley and canary seeds were also getting down to zero reciprocal tariffs.

“Sesame seeds, poppy seeds, bakery products, coca products, processed foods like banana pulp, citrus juices, guava and mango paste, pineapple jam, these will also become zero reciprocal tariffs,” said officials amid Congress criticism that the US deal is “anti-farmer”.

The officials said GM crops, soyabean, corn, dairy, meat and poultry were closed.