India, US likely to finalise interim trade deal by mid-July: Piyush Goyal

India and the United States are likely to finalise an interim trade agreement by the middle of July, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Friday, June 5, signalling progress in negotiations between the two countries.

Speaking at a joint press conference alongside Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and other Union ministers, Goyal said discussions with US officials had been productive and that both sides were working to close the remaining issues.

“We are fast moving towards closing all the open ends,” Goyal said.
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The minister said India hosted a US delegation comprising officials from different trade divisions between June 2 and June 4, and that he had also met members of the visiting team.

“We had excellent discussions from the second to the fourth of this month,” he said, adding that talks covered multiple aspects of bilateral trade.

According to Goyal, both countries are working towards executing a “very, very vibrant first tranche” of the bilateral trade agreement by around the middle of next month.

He said the proposed pact would provide preferential access for Indian exports and strengthen India’s position against competing exporters in global markets.

“It is only the first tranche of our bilateral trade agreement, which will give preferential access to India over our competitors,” Goyal said.

The minister also said India expects another, higher-level US delegation to visit later this month as negotiations continue.

“Expect an even higher-level delegation to be coming to India, probably towards the end of this month,” he said.

The comments come amid ongoing efforts by New Delhi and Washington to deepen trade ties and conclude the first phase of a broader bilateral trade agreement.