India has not compromised farmers’ interests in US trade deal, says Piyush Goyal

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Minister said final terms will give India a strong comparative advantage; expects deal to be celebrated by the public

By Amiti Sen

Updated - October 29, 2026 at 06:51 PM. | New Delhi

Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal speaks at the 4th ISID-IDRA National Conference on India’s Industrial Transformation, in New Delhi on Thursday, October 29, 2026. | Photo Credit: ANI

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has asserted that India has not compromised any sensitive agricultural interests in the trade deal being negotiated with the US, expressing confidence that the Indian public would welcome the final terms.

India has instead secured a “very strong comparative advantage”, Goyal said at the ISID-IDRA national conference on Thursday, adding that the agreement’s details will become clear once they are made public.

“I have the courage of conviction to announce boldly that the US trade deal, once the details are out, the people of India are going to celebrate that not a single sensitive interest of our farmers have been compromised. On the contrary India will stand at a very strong comparative advantage. And trade is about comparative advantage. Absolute number is not as important…,” Goyal said.

US tariff changes bring both sides back to negotiations

India and the US had announced a framework for an interim bilateral trade agreement (BTA) on February 7. However, a subsequent US Supreme Court ruling that invalidated the Trump administration’s reciprocal tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) reshaped the US tariff landscape and brought both sides back to the negotiating table.

India has been seeking a deal that would give it a tariff advantage over competitors such as Bangladesh, Vietnam, Indonesia and Cambodia, while protecting its agricultural sensitivities.

Goyal criticises politicisation of trade deal

Alluding to the opposition, the Minister said that those who criticised the India-US trade deal did so without understanding it. “(the deal) is sometimes sought to be politicised by a few elements. That’s probably lack of understanding or lack of knowledge. Details are not yet fully out. I don’t know what they are criticising,” he said.

Eight other FTAs have been well received, says Minister

Goyal said the government’s eight other FTAs finalised in recent years have all been well received. “I have yet to come across anybody who could find a single flaw in any of the eight FTAs which are concluded, and details are out in the market,” he said.

These include pacts with Mauritius, UAE, Australia, Oman, the EFTA bloc, the UK, New Zealand and the EU.

Published on October 29, 2026

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