Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal is likely to travel to Washington soon as the momentum grows around the India-US trade talks, sources said.
The visit comes after a day-long round of discussions in New Delhi between US Chief Negotiator Brendan Lynch and India's Rajesh Agrawal on the proposed bilateral trade agreement.
"The commerce minister's visit is likely soon... may be in the next few days... for the trade talks," they said.
"It was decided to intensify efforts to achieve early conclusion of a mutually beneficial trade agreement," the ministry said in a release after a seven-hour meeting with US officials.
The talks hold significance as Washington has imposed a 50 percent tariff on Indian exports. This was in addition to earlier measures — a 25 percent tariff followed by another 25 percent penalty — introduced on Indian goods after New Delhi’s purchase of Russian crude oil.
In February, the leaders of both nations charged their trade delegations with working towards a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), with the initial phase to be completed by fall 2025. Through October, five rounds of negotiations have been held. The agreement aims to more than double two-way trade, driving it to $500 billion by 2030 from the current $191 billion.
Goyal had earlier visited Washington in May for negotiations, during which he met US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
The US has been India's biggest trading partner for the fourth consecutive year in 2024–25. Trade between the two countries was $131.84 billion, of which $86.5 billion was from Indian exports. The US now accounts for approximately 18 percent of India's total goods exports, 6.22 percent of imports, and 10.73 percent of overall merchandise trade.
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