India has always negotiated with a “clear mindset” on sectors that are “very” sensitive for the country in trade pacts and has protected all those key segments under the interim trade agreement with the U.S., Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said.
He also said that both teams are working to convert the joint statement into a legal agreement, which is expected to be finalised and signed before the end of March.
“India has always negotiated all agreements with a clear mindset, anything that is very sensitive to India, anything where we feel our farmers, fishermen, dairy, they are going to be impacted, we have been very clear to our partner countries that India can not open up or provide access,” he told reporters in Nuremberg.
“If you look at all the agreements that we have done in the last year, five trade agreements that we did — all the sensitive sectors have been protected. In the U.S., all the key sensitive sectors have been protected. Wherever there is a little sensitivity, we have used tariff rate quota mechanisms to ensure that any market access is limited in nature and it doesn’t impact our farmers,” he added.
Under the interim trade pact, which was announced earlier this month, India has fully protected sensitive agricultural and dairy products such as maize, wheat, rice, soya, poultry, milk, cheese, ethanol (fuel), tobacco, certain vegetables and meat, as no duty concessions have been granted to the U.S. on these goods under the pact.
These goods are sensitive because they involve the livelihoods of small and marginal farmers in the country.
In other Free Trade Agreements (FTA), India has not extended any import duty concessions on sensitive agri and dairy products. It has recently finalised FTAs with the European Union, the UK and Australia.
Agriculture and allied activities such as animal husbandry form the backbone of India’s rural economy, employing over 500 million people. Unlike in developed economies, where agriculture is highly mechanised and corporatised, in India, it is a livelihood issue.
India’s agriculture sector is currently protected by moderate to high tariffs or import duties and regulations to shield domestic farmers from unfair competition.
The U.S. agri exports to India were $1.6 billion in 2024. Key exports include Almonds (in shell, $868 million); Pistachios ($121 million), Apples ($21 million), Ethanol (ethyl alcohol, $266 million).
The Secretary was in Nuremberg for the Biofach 2026 show, where over 100 Indian exhibitors from about 20 States are showcasing their organic products. The European Union (EU) is a big market for these goods.
“The teams are working on it, and by March, we are hopeful to make it (interim trade pact with the US) official,” Mr. Agrawal said.
Talking about the labour-intensive sectors, he said the pact with the U.S. will give them an edge as compared to the competitor nations, which are facing higher tariffs than India in the American market.
The reciprocal tariffs on India will be reduced to 18%, while it is 35% for China and 20% for Vietnam.
“Since the U.S. has been a strong market for the labour-intensive sector, with this interim agreement, there will be an advantage to our labour-intensive sectors. They will be able to grow unhindered”.
“So my sense is that Indian exporters will be able to compete with their competitors, revive and rejuvenate the supply chains that they might have missed out during the Christmas time and see that Indian exports not only grow but do well as they were doing last year, and also grow in the coming years,” the Secretary said.
Labour-intensive sectors such as textiles, apparel, marine, gems and jewellery were impacted due to the steep 50% tariffs imposed by the U.S.. The Trump-administration has removed the 25% punitive tariffs and will cut down the reciprocal tariffs to 18 % from 25%.
Mr. Agrawal also said that stakeholders and exporters are happy with the outcome, and they have given a “thumbs up” to the overall agreement.
“What we have been able to achieve in the interim agreement is good for India and our exports. I don’t see any major red line in this,” he said.
Published – February 11, 2026 11:43 am IST
