Tariff cuts on agriculture priority to India trade deal, says US Ambassador-designate Gor

In a pointed statement amid heightened trade frictions, US Ambassador-designate to India, Sergio Gor, on Thursday said reductions in tariffs on agricultural products will be the top priority in a trade agreement with India.

Gor made the remarks while appearing before the US Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday in Washington DC. He responded to a question by Pete Ricketts, US Senator for Nebraska, who asked that "with the trade negotiations restarting, getting India to reduce their tariffs on US agriculture should be prioritized as part of the overall finalized trade agreement".

"100 per cent," Gor answered. He also informed the committee that US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is working on the individual items, which were prohibited to be imported into India due tariffs and barriers in the past.

"...And in fact, I got a briefing on this, Ambassador Greer is literally working on the individual items that in the past...tariffs and barriers have made it prohibitive to be imported into India, that will hopefully be changing soon in over the next few weeks," he said. Gor’s appointment as Ambassador to India – done on Aug 23 – needs to be ratified by the committee led by James Risch from Trump’s own party, the Republicans.

The remarks come as the two nations navigate a complex landscape of reciprocal tariffs, geopolitical pressures, and delayed negotiations with the US imposed steep 50 per cent tariffs on India goods that could shave up to 0.5 per cent of GDP.

Gor's comments highlight the persistent impasse in talks, where the US demands for greater market access to India's protected agricultural and dairy sectors have clashed with New Delhi's efforts to safeguard its farmers.