USIBC hails US-India interim trade agreement as historic milestone

The US and India have established a framework for an Interim Trade Agreement. Hailed by the USIBC, the deal involves India reducing tariffs on US goods and addressing non-tariff barriers, paving the way for a broader Bilateral Trade Agreement.

The US-India Business Council (USIBC) has congratulated the US and Indian governments on establishing a framework for an Interim Agreement on reciprocal, mutually beneficial trade. The framework, as a joint statement noted, reaffirms the countries' commitment to the broader US-India Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) negotiations, launched by President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 13, 2025, which will include additional market-access commitments and support for more resilient supply chains.

"The Interim Agreement between the United States and India will represent a historic milestone in our countries' partnership, demonstrating a common commitment to reciprocal and balanced trade based on mutual interests and concrete outcomes," USIBC said in a statement.

The US and India have today announced a joint statement that they have reached a framework for an Interim Agreement regarding reciprocal and mutually beneficial trade (interim agreement), and have agreed to a framework.

Key Terms of the Interim Agreement

According to the joint statement, India will eliminate or reduce tariffs on all US industrial goods and a wide range of US food and agricultural products, including dried distillers' grains (DDGs), red sorghum for animal feed, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruit, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and additional products.

India had reservations about opening the entire US agricultural sector to Indian markets, which is why the interim trade deal apparently missed the initially set timeline - fall of 2025. The Indian side has secured protection for its sensitive sectors, particularly agriculture and dairy, in this deal.

Furthermore, both countries decided to address non-tariff barriers affecting bilateral trade. India agrees to address long-standing barriers to trade in US medical devices and to eliminate restrictive import licensing procedures that delay market access for, or impose quantitative restrictions on, US Information and Communication Technology (ICT) goods.

India's Purchase Commitments and Technology Cooperation

The joint statement also noted that India intends to purchase USD 500 billion of US energy products, aircraft and aircraft parts, precious metals, technology products, and coking coal over the next 5 years.

India and the United States will significantly increase trade in technology products, including Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) and other goods used in data centres, and expand joint technology cooperation.

Background and US Tariff Reductions

On February 2, a phone call between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump led to the announcement of the conclusion of negotiations on the much-awaited trade deal.

The Trump administration had imposed tariffs on major exporters to the US, including India and China. There was a 50 per cent tariff on goods from India entering the United States since August 2025. The tariffs have now been reduced to 18 per cent following the leaders' recent phone call.

The BTA, formally proposed in February 2025, seeks to more than double bilateral trade, from the current USD 191 billion to USD 500 billion by 2030. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)