No concessions to US on agri, dairy, GM foods: An explainer

FARM LIVELIHOODS ARE AT STAKE

- OUR CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI: India has toughened its stance on extending duty concessions on agri products, dairy and GM foods in the proposed bilateral trade agreement (BTA) with the US.

With the US not able to finalize a deal with India so far, US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced imposition of an additional 25 per cent import duty on Indian goods entering American markets from August 7. Earlier, this duty was to be imposed from August 1. Trump has also not specified the penalty on India for buying crude oil and military equipment from Russia.

Here is a list of Q&A (questions and answers) to explain reasons behind India's stand and impact of US tariffs on labour-intensive sectors:

What is India-US bilateral trade agreement?

India and the US entered into negotiations for a fair, balanced and mutually beneficial BTA in March 2025 with a target to complete the first tranche/phase of the pact by fall (October-November) of 2025.

So far, five rounds of talks have been completed. For the next round, the US team, headed by Assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia Brendan Lynch, is visiting India from August 25.

What is the aim of the BTA?