- The Commerce Ministry will meet trade bodies on Sept 1 to review India-US trade performance
- Additional Secretary Darpan Jain will chair the meeting as India’s chief trade negotiator
- Discussions will cover sector performance in pharmaceuticals, textiles, agriculture, and more
The Commerce Ministry will meet industry associations and export promotion councils on Sept. 1 to review India-US trade performance and discuss recent developments in bilateral trade.
The meeting will be chaired by Additional Secretary Darpan Jain, who is also India's chief negotiator for the ongoing India-US bilateral trade agreement.
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The discussions will cover recent trade trends and sector-wise performance, with representatives from pharmaceuticals, engineering, textiles, agriculture, chemicals, marine products, leather, automobiles, auto components, handicrafts and plastics expected to participate.
Industry bodies including CII, FICCI, Assocham and FIEO are also likely to join the deliberations.
The meeting comes at a crucial juncture for India-US trade, with negotiations on the bilateral trade agreement continuing amid changes in the US tariff regime.
India and the US had announced the finalisation of the framework for the first phase of the agreement in February, but subsequent changes in US tariffs have led to further discussions.
The Sept. 1 meeting also comes ahead of Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal's planned visit to the US later in September.
Goyal is expected to attend the G20 Trade Ministerial in Milwaukee, beginning Sept. 30, and hold bilateral talks with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
Goyal has recently said the first tranche of the trade agreement will come into operation once the US ensures that Indian exporters receive a comparative advantage over competing countries.
The ministry's consultations with exporters are therefore expected to provide an assessment of the impact of current tariff conditions and sector-specific concerns ahead of the next round of high-level India-US discussions.
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