Courtesy: The Hindu | Updated: 25 March 2025 03:00 PM IST | Photo Courtesy: ARAB News –
Assistant Trade Representative Brendan Lynch’s five-day visit comes just before the reciprocal tariffs are set to take effect on April 2.
A U.S. delegation, led by Brendan Lynch, the U.S. Trade Representative’s point-person for South and Central Asia, is traveling to India for a five-day visit starting Tuesday, March 25, 2025. One key issue on the agenda could be market access for agricultural products, an area that has long been protected in Indian imports. The visit comes just before the announcement of “reciprocal tariffs” by the Trump administration and is expected to focus on lowering Indian import duties.
However, recent comments by U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik—who questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi about why India doesn’t “buy a bushel of [American] corn”—have raised speculation that the talks might cover a broader Bilateral Trade Agreement rather than just an “item-by-item” negotiation.
On Monday, Prime Minister Modi met with Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, reportedly to discuss the upcoming talks and tariffs, according to government sources.