India-U.S. deal does not include any item that would hurt Indian farmers, says Piyush Goyal

Piyush Goyal assures that the India-U.S. trade deal protects farmers, excluding sensitive items while promoting agricultural exports.

The Interim Agreement between India and the U.S. will not include any item that would hurt Indian farmers, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said on Saturday (February 7, 2026), adding that there are several areas where Indian farmers and MSMEs have received duty-free entry into the U.S. market. 

India and the U.S. early Saturday (February 7, 2026) morning issued a joint statement in which they announced that the two countries had reached a framework for an Interim Agreement, and would continue working together towards a more comprehensive Bilateral Trade Agreement. 

India-U.S. trade deal LIVE updates

“We have not included any item where any Indian farmer will be hurt,” Mr. Goyal said at a press conference later in the day. “All sensitive items have been kept out of the deal. No genetically modified items will enter India, and no tariff relief has been given [to the U.S.] on meat, poultry, dairy, soybean, maize, rice, wheat, sugar, millets, fruits such as bananas, strawberries, cherries, citrus fruit, greenpea, kabuli chana, moong, oilseeds, ethanol, and tobacco.” 

He further listed out a number of other sectors that would see duties on exports to the U.S. being reduced from 50% to 0%. 

These include gems and diamonds, pharmaceutical products, aircraft parts, machinery parts, generic drugs, pharma products, some auto parts, gems and diamonds, platinum, clocks and watches, essential oils, home decor items such as chandeliers, lamp parts, some inorganic chemicals, some paper, plastic, and wood items, among others.