Agri, dairy sensitivities addressed in US trade deal, government assures Parliament

Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal spoke in Parliament about the recently announced India-US trade deal, saying that the Indian side was successful in safeguarding the interests of sensitive sectors such as agriculture and dairy.

Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday briefed the Parliament on the recently announced and much-awaited trade deal with the US, which only culminated amid tariff tension and after months of back-and-forth. Speaking in Lok Sabha amid protests by the Opposition MPs, Goyal assured that New Delhi was successful in ensuring the protection of sensitive sectors, such as agriculture and dairy.

Goyal said it took a year for the two sides to come to a consensus, making sure that neither of their important sectors were ignored.

"Last year, negotiators from both sides held detailed discussions on various levels. Keeping the important interests of both sides in mind, it is natural that both sides would want to safeguard their respective important and sensitive areas and ensure the best possible results. During the discussions, the Indian side was successful in safegaurding the interests of its sensitive sectors, especially agriculture and dairy...With a year of discussions, the two sides succeeded in giving the final form to various sectors of the bilateral trade agreement," the Union Minister said in Lok Sabha.