India agreed to open agriculture, dairy sectors to US players? Piyush Goyal answers

Earlier, Piyush Goyal shared the details of the deal that followed a framework interim trade agreement between the two countries, aimed at boosting exports, jobs and market access. The trade deal will formally be signed in March.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said India’s evolving trade engagements, including the modified India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement, mark a structural shift rooted in confidence and competitiveness, not a dilution of national interests.

Speaking in an exclusive conversation with India Today TV, the Minister of Commerce and Industry pushed back against opposition allegations that New Delhi has opened up sensitive sectors such as agriculture and dairy to Washington, asserting that "there is absolutely no compromise" on these fronts.

On agriculture, a key flashpoint in political debate, Goyal categorically denied any concessions. "Absolutely no compromise on dairy. No compromise on GM products, or cereals like rice and wheat," he said.

While India has allowed limited quotas for soybean oil—already a major import—soybean meal remains barred. Fruit imports, he noted, are already taking place and benefit consumers through better quality and choice.

"Wherever there are sensitivities, there is no opening up".

Goyal said India’s trade policy has been fundamentally reoriented since the Covid-19 pandemic, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for Atmanirbhar Bharat and the vision of making India a developed nation by 2047.