India, U.S. trade pact to be signed at an appropriate time; only a few issues under discussion: Commerce Secretary
India's Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarawal stated that a trade pact with the U.S. is nearly finalized, pending resolution of a few remaining issues. The agreement aims to establish preferential market access, though timing remains dependent on both nations aligning their tariff structures.
Why it matters
A finalized trade deal between the world's two largest democracies would significantly impact global supply chains and bilateral economic relations.
“The India-U.S. trade pact is more or less finalised, with only a few issues being discussed by the two sides, and it will be signed at an appropriate time,” Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarawal said in Mumbai on Wednesday (September 9, 2026).
He said, “Any trade deal has to give a certain kind of preferential market access to each other.”
"My Minister (Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal) on record has multiple times indicated that the deal has more or less been finalised. There are a few things which both sides are discussing, but it will be signed at an appropriate time. There is a requirement that any deal has to give you a certain kind of preferential access on each other's part.”
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