Commerce Department discusses India-US trade performance with exporters and their market access challenges
The Commerce Department has asked industry and exporters to share their concerns about access to the US market so those issues can be discussed with their US counterparts, an official said on Tuesday (Sep 1, 2026).
An industry official said some exporters had urged the ministry to try to seal a trade pact with the US as soon as possible to reduce uncertainties on the customs front.
Additional Secretary in the Ministry Darpan Jain presided over the meeting. He is also the lead country negotiator for the India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA).
The talks are important because Trade and Industry Secretary Piyush Goyal will visit the US in late September to attend the G-20 ministerial meeting in Milwaukee and hold bilateral talks with USTR Jamieson Greer. The two-day ministerial session will begin on September 30.
Mr Goyal is also likely to lead a trade delegation to Chicago next month after the G20 ministerial conference.
According to the exporter, the order books from the US are good, but their order volume has decreased.
“Due to the prevailing uncertainty over tariff rates, US buyers are neither placing large orders nor placing long-term orders,” the exporter said, adding that US buyers are diversifying their sources of imports,” the official said.
The industry has also flagged concerns over US safeguards imposed on quartz-surfaced products and called on the Commerce Department to discuss the matter with US authorities.
Representatives of the Export Promotion Councils shared export data with the Ministry and discussed the performance of their respective sectors.
The objective of the meeting was to discuss recent trends in trade, the overall performance of India-US trade by sector and recent developments in bilateral trade.
Sectors represented at the meeting include pharmaceuticals, engineering, textiles, agriculture, chemicals, marine products, leather, automobiles, auto parts, handicrafts and plastics.
Chambers of industry CII, FICCI, Assocham and the apex export body FIEO also participated in the meeting.
India and the US are negotiating a bilateral trade agreement. In February, the two sides announced the finalization of the framework for the first phase of the pact, but changes in the US customs environment led to further negotiations between the two countries on the agreement.
Recently, Mr. Goyal said that the first tranche of a bilateral trade agreement between India and the US will come into effect once the United States is able to ensure that India gains a comparative advantage over its competitors.
The US has imposed an additional 10% tariff on a number of countries, including India, from July 24.
Countries including Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia are India’s main competitors in the US market. The tariff advantage vis-à-vis these countries will ensure price competitiveness of Indian goods in the US market.
India’s exports to the US rose marginally to $87.31 billion in 2025-26 from $86.51 billion in the previous fiscal. Imports, on the other hand, rose 17.16% to USD 53.45 billion in the last fiscal from USD 45.62 billion in 2024-25.
Total trade increased by 6.53% to $140.76 billion in 2025–26 from $132.2 billion in 2024–25. India had a trade surplus of $33.9 billion in the last fiscal year, down from $40.9 billion in 2024-25.
During April-July 2026-27, India’s exports to the US rose 3% to $34.5 billion, while imports rose 22.42% to $22.12 billion.
India’s exports to the US include electrical machinery and telecommunications equipment (including smartphones), generic pharmaceuticals, diamonds, industrial boilers, and cotton textiles. Imports include oil, liquefied natural gas, coal, precious stones, electronics and aviation equipment.
Published – 01 Sep 2026 19:03 IST