How India Ensured US Trade Deal Won’t Cross Red Lines: Piyush Goyal

Republic Summit 2026: At the Republic Summit 2026, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said after the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) changed the rule of the game and deemed tariffs as illegal, India had to rework on its trade deal with the United Stated.

"My efforts in closing a deal is always whether our exporters and industries, farmers are benefitting from a preferential access compared to our competitors,"

Further, the Union Minister noted that his effort in closing any deal was made while prioritising preferential access for India's exporters, industries, farm products, and seafood exports in comparison to other countries in ASEAN region.

Goyal said that what makes all free trade agreements with India, including trade pacts with Australia, and New Zealand special is that the South Asian country has protected the interest of its farmers, fishermen, and those involved in dairy trade.

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On the US-India trade pact, he said, “We are trying to work out with the US how they will ensure that we get a comparative advantage so that our exporters can benefit, our MSME, our engineering goods, our textiles, our marine products, our food processed goods, shoes and leather goods, our precision engineering, aerospace and defense components.”

"India today is now moving up the value chain into significant products, which over the next few years are going to define our growth journey," he said.

India Never Crossed These Red lines In All FTA's 

From inking the 'Mother Of All Deals' with the European Union to inching closer to sealing the deal with both the UK and the US, Piyush Goyal said these trade deals will open greater opportunities for India.

"India persevered to protect the interests of our farmers. There were certain red lines. For example, look at dairy. India is the only country to Get FTAs With Australia, New Zealand, the UK, the 27-Nation EU Block, the Four-Nation EFTA, and the US, and in None of These Agreements Have We Opened Dairy," he said.

Commenting on sensitive sectors such involving farm produce and dairy, he noted,"Every farmer in India has two or three cows, four cows. Small scale, they produce milk, which helps them for sustenance, which helps them for nutrition for their children. We are very cognizant and sensitive that we would not like foreign dairy to come in and affect the pricing structure and the ability to sell these products for these small farmers,"

"Just giving this as an example, whether it is rice, wheat, whether it is corn, whether it is soya, all sensitive subjects that our farmers are concerned about. We have ensured that we will not open these for imports. And therefore, if you will see, all our trade deals have been widely accepted," he said.