India Proposes Lower Tariffs on US Farm Imports by April 2
By yash chouhan 2025-03-28 17:36:35
India proposes tariff cuts on US farm imports as April 2 deadline looms
In a new development amid US President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariff threats, India has offered to lower tariffs on import of US farm products like almonds and cranberries, two government sources told Reuters.
India agreed upon the tariff cuts on bourbon whiskey and agricultural products such as almonds, walnuts, cranberries, pistachios and lentils in a meeting with Brendan Lynch, the assistant US trade representative for South and Central Asia, a source familiar with the discussion said.
Regarding the trade talks, Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal on Thursday, March 27, said that the trade talks are “progressing well”, and a bilateral trade pact is still in progress.
However, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry did not comment on the latest development, while the embassy spokesperson in New Delhi said, “We don’t have anything to share on private diplomatic discussions,” reported Reuters.
Unlike many other nations, India has been on the front foot to negotiate tariff cuts and is open to cuts on over half of US imports worth $23 billion, Reuters reported earlier this week.
Last month, Goyal also said that the two countries can offer concessions and duty reductions, as their economies complement each other.
“We complement each other, we can give mutual concessions to each other, tariff reductions and make it easier to export and import between the two countries,” he said, adding, “We have started working on different ideas, engaging with different stakeholders within and outside the government and preparing ourselves for discussions, (which) we hope we will start soon.”
In February, India also slashed the custom duty on bourbon whiskey from 150 per cent to 100 per cent. With the bilateral talks, further adjustment in tariffs can be expected soon.
Notably, while Trump has consistently maintained that India’s high tariffs preclude special treatment, he has softened his stance over the past few days. Without naming any country, Trump said that a lot of countries will be given a break on April 2. He has also said that tariffs will likely be more “lenient than reciprocal”.
