Commerce Secretary says only a few issues remain before the pact is signed.
The proposed India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement is “more or less” finalised with only a few issues still under discussion, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said in Mumbai on September 9. He said the agreement would be signed at an appropriate time and stressed that both sides need to secure preferential market access under the pact. India operates largely under Most Favoured Nation tariffs while the US is developing an executive-tariff architecture to create the required tariff differentials.
India and the US announced the framework for the first phase of the agreement in February 2026. Subsequent changes in the US tariff regime have led to further negotiations. During April-July 2026-27, India’s merchandise exports to the US grew 3% to $34.5 billion while imports rose 22.42% to $22.12 billion.
The US imposed an additional 10% Section 301 duty on imports from India from July 24 following an investigation concerning the enforcement of prohibitions on goods produced with forced labour. The Indian government said the final measure placed India in the lower additional-tariff tier and that around 45% of India’s exports to the US remained outside the scope of the additional duty because of specified exemptions.
Agrawal also said negotiations on the India-Chile Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement were at an advanced stage with some areas still under discussion. He said the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, signed on April 27, is expected to come into force in October subject to completion of the necessary procedures.
Source: The Hindu
