India removes non -fee barriers – India remove non fee obstacles –

The US-India Business Council (USIBC) on Tuesday said that before the meeting between Varchar and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and his US counterparts, the US-India Business Council (USIBC) said that non-fertilizer obstacles and red tapes in the market should be removed quickly.

USIBC President Atul Keshap said that bilateral trade agreement has long pending to promote trade meaningfully. It will also become a factor to promote GDP of both countries (GDP). This agreement can also provide open and entire market access.

Goyal and US Commerce Minister Howard Lutnik held the first meeting in Washington on Tuesday. Goyal will meet the newly appointed trade representative (USTR) Jamson Greer of the US and talk about the equal fee issue imposed on other countries including India after one month. Apart from this, the trade agreement declared between the two countries can also be discussed during this meeting.

Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump agreed that the bilateral trade agreement (BTA), a mutual benefit would be completed in the next seven to eight months. This trade agreement is being negotiated when the Trump -led government is preparing to impose retaliation in early April to deal with the fees, taxes and non -fees obstacles of other countries.

The US-India Business Council (USIBC) president Keshap said, “Businesses in India and the US have invested without formal investment or business structure in each other’s country for many years. India’s share in America’s trade is only 2.5 per cent and this number can be adequately increased. Now both sides should formally emphasize an equal opportunity, full and open market access, early resolution of disputes and regulatory policies for investment, progress and employment generation.

The business world is also optimistic about the trade agreement between India and the US. A Delhi -based think tank said that the US has previously disregarded trade agreements, so India should be cautious in negotiations on the overall FTA. GTRI said, “The free trade agreement with Canada and Mexico is applicable with NAFTA with Canada and Mexico. But Trump was dissatisfied with its terms in his first term and replaced the USMCA (US-Mexico-Canada FTA) in 2018-19. He has again claimed that the NAFTA agreement is outdated and it damages the interests of American workers. Now he is unhappy with his own agreement and disregarded the terms of USMCA and imposed a 25 percent fee on Canada and Mexico.

The US imposed a 25 per cent fee on Canada and Mexico on Tuesday after a month’s break. Now China is jointly charged with a fee of 20 per cent for exporting to the US, while earlier this fee was 10 per cent. GTRI said, ‘The situation may worsen while sitting and talking. The US can not only demand a fee cut from India but can also demand additional concessions such as opening of government procurement, reducing agricultural subsidy, weakening patent protection and flow of uninterrupted data. India has been opposing these demands for decades.

First Published – March 4, 2025 | 10:51 pm IST

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