Assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia Brendan Lynch is coming to India tonight and will continue talks for a Bilateral Trade Agreement with the Indian counterpart, a government official said. US-India trade talks will he held on Tuesday, the official said.
India's chief negotiator and Special Secretary in the Department of Commerce is Rajesh Agrawal. Over the past few months, India and the US have been negotiating for an interim trade deal. Still, there were reservations from the Indian side on the US demand for opening up the agricultural and dairy sectors. Agriculture and dairy are critical for India as these two sectors provide livelihood opportunities to a large section of people.
India and the US initiated talks for a just, balanced, and mutually beneficial Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) in March this year, aiming to complete the first stage of the Agreement by October-November 2025. Initially, US President Donald Trump announced 25 per cent tariffs on Indian goods, even as there were hopes of an interim India-US trade deal that would have otherwise helped avoid elevated tariffs.
A few days later, he imposed another 25 per cent tariff, taking the total to 50 per cent, citing India's continued imports of Russian oil. The 50% tariffs came into effect on August 27.
