NITI Aayog Withdraws Paper Backing Agri Concessions In India–US Trade Talks

NITI Aayog has withdrawn a discussion paper that controversially argued for offering agricultural concessions to the United States as part of the ongoing bilateral trade negotiations.

Titled "Promoting India–US Agricultural Trade Under the New US Trade Regime," the paper was published on May 30 but has now been pulled from the website, sources told NDTV Profit.

The paper had advocated a "dual-track approach" to agricultural trade, suggesting that India could offer selective concessions on imports such as edible oils and nuts while seeking greater access for its own exports. However, the recommendations seemed to have sparked concern, given the high sensitivity of India’s agricultural sector in trade talks.

The paper, authored by Member Ramesh Chand and Senior Adviser (Agriculture Policy), NITI Aayog, Raka Saxena, had argued that India should cut high tariffs on commodities like rice and pepper, which are regularly exported by the country.

"Similarly, since India meets most of its almonds and pistachios demand from imports, calibrated concessions can be extended on such items," it had said.

The paper also called lower tariff on agricultural commodities where either domestic production is small or import does not compete with domestic production because of different quality grades and seasons.

"For example, US apples sell at a premium price in Indian retail markets due to different quality, long shelf life, and off-season availability; adjusting tariffs moderately on such 27 products may not cause adverse effect on domestic produce. Similarly, since India meets most of its almonds and pistachios demand from imports, calibrated concessions can be extended on such items," it said.

The paper had also called for sensitive products like dairy and poultry to be protected in bilateral trade arrangements.

The withdrawal comes as agriculture and dairy emerge as major sticking points in the India–US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) discussions. New Delhi has firmly resisted opening up sectors like dairy, poultry, and genetically modified food to US imports, citing risks to food security and livelihoods of over 70 crore rural Indians. The US, on the other hand, continues to push for wider market access for its heavily subsidised agri-products.