Cong questions disappearance of NITI Aayog paper on India-US trade

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday raised concerns regarding the sudden disappearance of a NITI Aayog working paper that explored ways to enhance agricultural trade between India and the US under Washington’s new trade regime.

"On May 30, 2025, NITI Aayog put out a Working Paper titled Promoting India-US Agricultural Trade Under the New US Trade Regime. It got reported and also invited some critical comment. Now the Working Paper has gone missing from the Aayog's website. It has reportedly been withdrawn. I wonder why?" Ramesh posted on X.

While NITI Aayog has not provided an official explanation for the removal, a copy of the working paper, reviewed by The Tribune, outlines a roadmap to boost India’s agricultural exports to the US while strategically opening select segments to American imports.

The paper concluded that India, which has traditionally maintained a trade surplus with the US in agriculture, needs a carefully balanced strategy that combines immediate responses with long-term structural reforms to navigate challenges posed by former US President Donald Trump’s tariff hikes.

It proposed a multi-pronged action plan aimed at protecting domestic producers while promoting broader national interests without triggering trade conflicts.

"India is the largest importer of edible oil in the world and the US has a significant surplus of genetically modified (GM) soybean. India can consider limited concessions on soybean oil imports to address US demands and help reduce the trade imbalance, without harming domestic production," the document noted.

It also suggested exploring the option of importing soybean seeds for oil extraction in coastal areas, with the oil supplied to domestic markets and the residual meal exported, a model that avoids GM feed entering the domestic food chain.

However, given that GM products are currently banned in India and under judicial scrutiny, the paper recommended this as a workaround rather than a policy shift.

To safeguard sensitive sectors like dairy and poultry, the paper advocated the use of non-tariff barriers such as strict enforcement of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards. It cited recurring avian flu outbreaks in US poultry as a valid reason to apply such safeguards in trade negotiations.

Highlighting India's productivity gaps in key crops compared to the US such as maize and soybean the paper called for long-term reforms, technology adoption, and value chain development. It also recommends establishing an Agri Trade Intelligence Cell to monitor global markets and introduce hedging tools to protect Indian farmers from international price shocks.