India Safeguarded Agriculture & Dairy In US Trade Deal: Piyush Goyal

New Delhi [India]: Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday assured Members of Parliament that India had successfully safeguarded the interests of the agriculture and dairy sectors in the trade deal with the United States. The India-US trade agreement, reducing the tariffs on Indian goods to 18 per cent, triggered a political row in the country.

The Opposition raised concerns about US President Donald Trump's claims that India may reduce tariffs to zero on certain American goods and purchase USD 500 billion in US energy, technology, agricultural, coal, and other products.

In response to the rising concern over the agricultural sector, Piyush Goyal told the Lok Sabha that the two nations held year-long discussions and ensured security to the sensitive sectors.

Piyush Goyal said, "Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi's US visit in February 2025, the two nations have been discussing a balanced and profitable trade deal. In the last year, negotiators from both sides have held talks at several levels. It is obvious that, looking at their respective economies, both nations would like the best result to safeguard the sensitive economic sectors.

India has been successful in safeguarding the interests of sensitive sectors, such as agriculture and dairy. The US also had some sensitive sectors. After one year of talks, negotiators from both sides ensured the trade deal." He added that the deal will be favourable for Indian exporters. Goyal emphasised that the two nations will soon complete the paperwork around the agreement.

"On February 2, Prime Minister and US President Donald Trump discussed several issues over a phone call, after which the US President announced a reduction in tariffs on Indian goods to 18 per cent. I want to emphasise that this is less than US tariffs on several competitor nations, which will help Indian goods in the competition in the American market. This deal provides several benefits to the Indian exporters. I want to repeat that the sensitivity of the agricultural sector has been taken into account. Also, this deal will help the MSMEs and Skill development," he said.

"This will aid the vision of 'Make in India' for the world, 'Design in India' for the world and 'Innovate in India' for the world. The agreement is an important step in India-US ties and for Viksit Bharat 2047. This signifies the strong ties between the two biggest democracies, which are They are natural partners. I want to tell the MPs that both parties will complete the paperwork soon so that the benefits can be reaped," the Union Minister said.

Further, Piyush Goyal assured that the Centre will diversify energy resources and also safeguard the energy for the public. He told Lok Sabha, "I want to clarify that it is the government's priority to safeguard 140 crore Indian's energy resources. Diversifying energy resources is the basis of our strategy. I urge the members of the House to look at it with a holistic approach. I hope the members will understand that as India is heading on the path of Viksit Bharat, we need to improve our capacity in the energy and nuclear sector.

The US is a leading nation in these sectors. As a result of comparative advantage, the export of several sectors will increase. This is in favour of the public and the nation." His address in the Lok Sabha was marked by continuous sloganeering and protest by the Opposition. Even on Tuesday, Piyush Goyal said PM Modi has always championed the agriculture and dairy sectors, safeguarding their interests, and noted that the sensitive sectors of India's economy, particularly agriculture and dairy, have been protected in the India-US trade deal.

Meanwhile, India and the US are likely to issue a joint statement on the trade agreement this week, according to government sources. "We are under final stages of detailing with the negotiating team. A joint statement of the India-US trade deal is likely to be issued this week," said the source. In the backdrop of the trade deal, US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent held talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and addressed the importance of securing supply chains. 

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