India, US to start in-person sectoral trade talks in May

The commerce ministry said on Tuesday that India and the US are looking at "early mutual wins" indicating that the two may work towards an early harvest deal even before they finalize the first tranche of their proposed bilateral trade agreement (BTA).

- Rajeev Jayaswal

NEW DELHI:

People familiar with the matter said that India and the US will hold in-person sectoral trade engagements from the end of May.

An early deal will potentially avert additional US tariffs set to trigger on July 9, these people added, speaking of discussions after trade negotiators from India held crucial meetings last week.

"While productive sectoral expert-level engagements have taken place through the virtual format, in-person sectoral engagements are planned from end May," the ministry said in a statement, following the negotiating team's recent visit to Washington.

During the three-day meeting in Washington from April 23-25, trade representatives had "fruitful discussions on wide-ranging subjects covering tariff and non-tariff matters," the government said.

The Indian delegation was led by chief negotiator Rajesh Agrawal.

The ministry also hinted at the possibility of early agreements, noting that "the team discussed the pathway for concluding the first tranche of the mutually beneficial, multi-sector Bilateral Trade Agreement by Fall of 2025, including through opportunities for early mutual wins."