India, US in continuous dialogue on proposed bilateral trade agreement: Piyush Goyal

08 Oct 2025 Evaluate

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has said that India and the US are in continuous dialogue on the proposed bilateral trade agreement, and all possibilities are there to meet the November deadline for concluding the talks. On the possibility of the next round of trade negotiations in a physical mode, he said that every possibility exists, but with the US government currently in shutdown mode, it remains to be seen how, where, and when the next round of talks can take place.

The US government has stopped working since midnight on October 1 as Congress failed to pass a funding bill. Theoretically, this means many government workers will not be paid for now, and service centres are closed. However, important operations, such as in the field of defence and social work, will continue to function.

Goyal said ‘We are in constant dialogue with the USA (on the trade pact), and talks are on at various levels. We will give more information on this soon on how we are thinking to take it forward’. He further said in trade pacts with the UK, the EFTA bloc and Australia, India has protected the interests of the farmers and the dairy industry, besides religious sensitivities. He said ‘Any trade deal will be only possible keeping in mind these sensitivities’, and added that ‘I am quite confident that we will be able to resolve the issues (with the US) that are on the table and find the landing zone in the near future’.

Moreover, the US remained India's largest trading partner for the fourth consecutive year in 2024-25, with bilateral trade valued at $131.84 billion ($86.5 billion exports). The US accounts for about 18 per cent of India's total goods exports, 6.22 per cent in imports, and 10.73 per cent in the country's total merchandise trade.

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