New Delhi is listening. On Tuesday, the Commerce Ministry sat down with exporters and industry leaders, gathering concerns over U.S. market access just weeks before high-stakes bilateral trade talks. The message from businesses was clear: move faster.

Key facts

  • Meeting chaired by Additional Secretary Darpan Jain, India’s chief negotiator for the U.S. trade deal
  • Exporters urged swift conclusion of the bilateral trade agreement to ease tariff uncertainty
  • U.S. imposed an additional 10% tariff on India and several competitors effective July 24
  • India’s exports to the U.S. reached $87.31 billion in 2025-26

Why exporters want a deal now

Order books from American buyers aren’t empty—but they’re thinning. One exporter put it plainly: U.S. clients are hesitating, avoiding large or long-term orders because nobody knows what tariffs might look like next month or next year. That uncertainty is pushing American importers to diversify, looking toward Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangladesh, and other competitors.

“Some exporters urged the Ministry to try to conclude the trade pact with the U.S. at the earliest to reduce the uncertainties on the tariff front,” says an industry official.

It’s not just talk. The U.S. recently slapped a 10% additional duty on imports from India and several other nations. Without a deal, Indian goods simply can’t compete on price.

What’s next in U.S.-India trade relations

All eyes are on late September. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal will head to Milwaukee for the G20 Trade Ministerial, where he’s expected to sit down with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. After that, he’ll lead a business delegation to Chicago—another chance to make India’s case.

Goyal has already signaled that the first phase of a trade pact will move forward once the U.S. ensures India gains a competitive edge over rival exporters. That can’t come soon enough for industries like quartz surface products, which are facing U.S. safeguard measures, or sectors like pharma, engineering, textiles, and chemicals that attended Tuesday’s meeting.

By the numbers

Trade between the two nations isn’t shrinking—it’s growing, but unevenly. Last fiscal year, India’s exports to the U.S. inched up slightly to $87.31 billion, while imports jumped over 17% to $53.45 billion. The trade surplus shrunk. From April to July this year, exports rose 3%, but imports surged 22%.

American buyers still want Indian smartphones, generic medicines, diamonds, and textiles. But they’re also buying more U.S. crude oil, natural gas, and aerospace gear. A well-structured trade deal could rebalance that equation—and give Indian exporters the confidence they’re asking for.