‘India’s tariff removal on US products benefiting farmers’

US Trade Representative Katherine Tai said on Tuesday that India’s decision to remove retaliatory tariffs on several US products has improved access to chickpeas, lentils, almonds, walnuts, and apples and is benefiting farmers across the country.

In her testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee Hearing on the President’s 2024 Trade Policy Agenda, Tai mentioned that India and the US resolved the final outstanding WTO dispute in September last year, and India agreed to reduce tariffs on several US products.

“Last June, India and the United States terminated six WTO disputes, and India agreed to remove retaliatory tariffs on several US products. This means improved access for chickpeas, lentils, almonds, walnuts, and apples, benefiting farmers across the country, including in Michigan, Oregon, and Washington,” Katherine Tai said.

“Additionally, in September, India and the United States resolved our final outstanding WTO dispute, and India agreed to reduce tariffs on several US products. This means more market access for turkey, duck, blueberries, and cranberries, benefiting farmers in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin,” she added.

Earlier in September, Katherine Tai announced that India and the US had agreed to resolve their last outstanding dispute at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and lower tariffs on certain US agricultural products, including frozen turkey, frozen duck, fresh blueberries, and cranberries, frozen blueberries, and cranberries, dried blueberries, and cranberries, and processed blueberries and cranberries.

The announcement came as US President Joe Biden met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 8 in New Delhi ahead of the G20

Leaders’ Summit.

The joint statement released by India and the US after the meeting between the two leaders said, “The leaders lauded the settlement of the seventh and last outstanding World Trade Organisation (WTO) dispute between India and the United States.”

Notably, the six disputes in the WTO were resolved during PM Modi’s state visit to the US in June. India also agreed to reduce tariffs on certain US products, including chickpeas, lentils, almonds, walnuts, apples, boric acid, and diagnostic reagents.