US-India Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA)
Framework and Status
The framework for a US-India Bilateral Trade Agreement has been a long-standing aspiration, periodically revived. The February 2026 interim agreement represented the most concrete step yet — a structured tariff-reduction deal announced during Modi's Washington visit, in which India agreed to lower duties on a range of US goods (industrial goods, agricultural products including tree nuts, wine, soy oil, dried distillers' grains) in exchange for a significant reduction in US tariffs on Indian goods from 26% to 18%. The deal was framed as Phase 1 of a broader BTA. India's Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal indicated it would be signed in March and implemented in April 2026.
- Announcement: February 2026, following Modi-Trump summit
- India's tariff reduction: 26% → 18% on Indian exports to the US
- India's commitments: lower tariffs on US industrial goods, agricultural products (tree nuts, wine, DDGs, soy oil)
- Scope: Phase 1 interim deal; broader BTA negotiations ongoing
- India's negotiating team visit to Washington: postponed post-Supreme Court ruling
- Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal: indicated March signing, April implementation
● Tracked since February 21, 2026 · last seen March 17, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes