India-US Trade Deal, With 18% Reciprocal Tariff, To Be Signed By Mid-March

Government sources have stressed that the country's price-sensitive agriculture, dairy, and fisheries sector had been shielded adequately from American exports.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi with US President Donald Trump (File).
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Summary is AI-generated, newsroom-reviewed
  • India-US trade deal to cut US tariffs to 18% and end India's Russian oil imports
  • India commits to buying $500 billion in US energy and tech products by 2030
  • Farmers and sensitive sectors shielded from US imports, according to government sources
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New Delhi:

The India-US trade deal - which will see the United States slash reciprocal tariffs to 18 per cent and India stop buying oil from Russia, while also commit to buying US$500 billion in energy and tech products from America - will be signed by mid-March, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said Thursday.

A joint statement will be issued in five days, he said, though he did not specify what it might contain.

Earlier today sources told NDTV that details of the deal - demanded by an opposition furious at being left in the dark over negotiations and the announcement itself - will be shared at a later stage.

The same sources, however, also stressed that the country's price-sensitive dairy and fisheries sector and, crucially, farmers had been adequately shielded from American exports.

READ | "Farmers Protected...": Sources On India-US Deal And Oil Buying Implication

Sources also pointed to other trade deals signed in 2025 - with Oman, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and the European Union - and said no concessions were made in those either.

Announced by President Donald Trump in a Truth Social post Monday night, the agreement is seen as the first step towards a long-awaited broader trade deal between the two countries, with the expectation that it will boost bilateral trade to a staggering US$500 billion by 2030.

NDTV Decodes | India's EU, US Trade Deals And A Likely $150 Billion Boost

That deal was reportedly held up because Washington demanded access to the agriculture and dairy markets that provide jobs and livelihoods for crores of people, including subsistence farmers, families teetering on the edge of poverty, and those from marginalised communities.

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The Indian side, sources said, made it clear these concessions were off the table.

When Trump revealed Monday night that an agreement had been reached, the opposition was quick to decry the lack of clarity on various topics, including date of implementation and alternate sources of oil; India bought nearly 21 million barrels in 2025, tracking firm Kpler said.

Protests by the opposition also led to frequent disruptions in Parliament, drowning out Piyush Goyal's Lok Sabha speech yesterday on the trade deal.

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READ | Chaos, Slogans In Parliament As Piyush Goyal Speaks On India-US Deal

In the few minutes he was heard, Goyal said the deal would promote domestic manufacturing and design and provide opportunities for a stuttering MSME sector. He also pointed out the reciprocal tariff would now be lower than any on major nations exporting to the US.

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