Months of intense negotiations appear unlikely to produce a trade deal between the US and India before the August 1 deadline, despite US President Donald Trump having teased one for months as “coming soon”, according to three people familiar with the situation.
One person described the current state of discussions as a “total mess” behind the scenes as Trump and his trade representative, Jameison Greer, continue to push for a pact that would secure greater market access for American produce, dairy, and poultry in India.
“Despite bullish comments by India’s trade minister, securing a deal by August 1 seems nearly impossible”, said Rick Rossow, chair in US-India Policy Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank.
He said that while “negotiations seemed to move pretty fast in the early days”, the closing stages are “always the most difficult”.
Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh on Thursday told the Indian Parliament that negotiations with the US were “active” and revolved around “enhanced mutual market access, reduction of tariffs and non-tariff barriers and closer integration of supply chains”.
Rajesh Agarwal, India’s chief negotiator and Commerce Department special secretary, was in Washington last week for trade talks but the July 14-17 negotiation ended without any announcement.
