Commerce minister to meet export promotion councils on March 13

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal is set to meet export promotion councils on March 13.

According to sources, the meeting is a part of regular interactions by the minister on trade related issues, but the recent developments around the US trade and tariff announcements are also likely to be discussed.

“While the minister regularly holds such meetings with export promotion councils, given the ongoing issues around reciprocal tariffs by the US as well as the proposed bilateral trade agreement, it is likely that these issues will also be discussed,” said a personal familiar with the development.

The minister has recently returned from a trip from the US Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer and US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick to initiate discussions around the proposed bilateral trade agreement. India has indicated willingness to lower tariff on several items but the US is understood to be interested in a more comprehensive trade deal.

Earlier on Monday, Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal informed a Parliamentary panel that negotiations with the US are still on and no agreement on trade tariffs has been reached between the two countries till now. Domestic industry has also shown willingness to lower import duties on products from the US.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has announced that reciprocal tariffs would be imposed by the US on imports from other countries from April 2.

RSS affiliate Swadeshi Jagran Manch has said that India must protect its national interest while undertaking these negotiations. Interests of farmers and small entrepreneurs must be protected, it has underlined.

Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with US President Donald Trump, the two countries had decided to deepen bilateral trade ties and double it to $500 billion by 2030 and negotiate the first phase of a bilateral trade agreement by the fall of 2025.