India-US trade deal: As India looks at the possibility of a 50% tariff on its exports to the US effective August 27, the sixth round of trade deal talks between the two countries may be postponed.An official told PTI that a US team, initially set to visit India from August 25 for the next round of negotiations on the proposed bilateral trade agreement, is expected to postpone the meeting. Up to now, five rounds of discussions have been completed for the proposed bilateral trade agreement (BTA), and the US team was supposed to come to India for the sixth round. The negotiations were planned for August 25-29. “This visit is likely to be rescheduled,” the official said.Also Read | ‘Russia lost an oil client, which is India’: What Donald Trump said before meet with Putin; ‘secondary sanctions would be devastating…’
India talks tough on important sectors
Postponing or rescheduling the meeting is important because the US has imposed a significant 50% on Indian products. The US is seeking increased market access in sensitive sectors like agriculture and dairy, which India cannot agree to as it would impact the livelihoods of small and marginal farmers. India has made it clear that it will not compromise the interests of its farmers and cattle rearers. The US and India have announced their intention to finalize the first phase of the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) by the fall of 2025. Both countries aim to more than double their bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030, up from the current $191 billion.Also Read | Trump sees a ‘dead economy’ – but US-based S&P Global upgrades India’s credit rating – here’s whyA 25% tariff on Indian goods entering the US has been in place since August 7. An additional 25% tariff, imposed as a penalty for India’s purchase of crude oil and military equipment from Russia, will take effect on August 27. Between April and July, India’s exports to the US grew by 21.64 percent, reaching $33.53 billion, while imports increased by 12.33 percent to $17.41 billion, as reported by the commerce ministry. The US was India’s largest trading partner during the April-July period of 2025-26, with bilateral trade amounting to $12.56 billion. Since April this year, India’s exports to the US have been showing positive growth.
