India is a “tough nut to crack”, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said, as a visiting delegation from New Delhi concluded negotiations on the proposed bilateral trade agreement with the United States.
A 12-member Indian delegation, led by Additional Secretary in the Department of Commerce Darpan Jain, held three days of talks with the US team headed by Brendan Lynch, Assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia. The discussions concluded on Wednesday.
Speaking before the Committee on Ways and Means of the US Congress, Greer said India has long protected its agricultural markets. “India is a tough nut to crack... they’ve protected their agricultural markets for a very long time,” he said.
He added that while India seeks to safeguard several sensitive sectors, there were areas of possible convergence. “There are things, though, where I think we can find mutual agreement. DDGs (distillers dried grains) is a good example,” he said, referring to high-protein livestock feed, soybean meal and ethanol.
Greer said US and Indian negotiators were actively discussing such commodities during the ongoing engagement in Washington.
“Indian trade negotiators are in town this week. So we’ve been talking this week about these issues, including DDGs,” he said.
India and the US had announced a framework for a bilateral trade agreement on February 2 and released details on February 7, targeting expansion of trade to USD 500 billion by 2030.
Under the earlier framework, the US had proposed tariff reductions on Indian goods, alongside adjustments linked to energy imports. However, following a US Supreme Court ruling against reciprocal tariffs imposed under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the proposed tariff structure has come under review.
India is now seeking to recalibrate the agreement to safeguard its interests under the revised global tariff environment.
(With inputs from PTI)