U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack issued the following statement today in response to the announcement by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) that India has agreed to reduce tariffs on key U.S. agricultural products:
“We welcome today’s news that India has agreed to reduce tariffs on its imports of U.S. turkey, duck, cranberries and blueberries, creating new market opportunities for U.S. producers and exporters in the world’s most populous nation.
“Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA and USTR have focused on rebuilding trust and strengthening relationships with our global trading partners, including India, and working through the World Trade Organization and other venues to ensure that those partners live up to their obligations so that U.S. agriculture has full and fair access to key export markets.
“Today’s announcement, leading into President Biden’s participation in the G20 leaders’ summit in New Delhi, follows the lifting of India’s retaliatory tariffs on U.S. apples, chickpeas, lentils, almonds and walnuts, a development that had been announced earlier this summer and took effect this week. While important progress has been made, significant tariff and nontariff barriers to American agricultural products accessing the Indian market remain. I look forward to continuing to work with Ambassador Tai to address these barriers and strengthen the trade relationship between the United States and India.”
