- India’s Commerce Ministry will meet exporters today.
- Goyal is expected to meet US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer later in September.
- India wants its exporters to get a tariff advantage over key Asian competitors.
India is putting its exporters around the table before its next important conversation with the US on trade.
The Commerce Ministry will meet industry bodies and export promotion councils on (1) to review India’s trade performance with the US, with the discussions coming ahead of Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal’s expected talks with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer later this month.
The meeting will be chaired by Additional Secretary Darpan Jain, who is also India’s chief negotiator for the proposed bilateral trade agreement (BTA), according to PTI. The discussions are expected to cover recent trade trends, sector-wise performance and developments in bilateral commerce.
Representatives from pharmaceuticals, engineering, textiles, agriculture, chemicals, marine products, leather, automobiles, auto components, handicrafts and plastics are expected to participate. Industry chambers including CII, FICCI, Assocham and FIEO are also likely to join the discussions, PTI reported.
What India could take to the US negotiating table
The timing of the meeting could be important for Indian exporters. India and the US have been negotiating the BTA after announcing in February that they had finalised the framework for the first phase of the agreement. Changes to the US tariff structure, however, have led to further negotiations.
Goyal recently said the first tranche of the agreement would come into operation once the US ensures that Indian exporters receive a comparative advantage over competing countries.
That comparison is particularly important for sectors competing with suppliers from countries such as Vietnam, Bangladesh, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Sri Lanka. The US imposed an additional 10 per cent tariff on several countries, including India, from July 24.
A tariff advantage over those competing economies could improve the price competitiveness of Indian products, according to PTI.
The September 1 meeting could therefore give the government a more detailed picture of where exporters are facing pressure and which sectors have the most at stake as the BTA negotiations continue.
The trade numbers add to the pressure
India’s trade figures with the US show why exporters are seeking attention as negotiations continue.
India’s exports to the US rose marginally to $87.31 billion in 2025-26 from $86.51 billion a year earlier. Imports from the US grew 17.16 per cent to $53.45 billion from $45.62 billion.
Total bilateral trade increased 6.53 per cent to $140.76 billion, while India’s trade surplus narrowed to $33.9 billion from $40.9 billion.
The trend has continued into 2026-27. During April-July, India’s exports to the US grew 3 per cent to $34.5 billion, while imports jumped 22.42 per cent to $22.12 billion.
India’s major exports to the US include electrical machinery and telecom instruments, generic medicines, diamonds, industrial boilers and cotton textiles. Its major imports include crude petroleum, LNG, coal, metallurgical scrap, precious stones, electronics and aerospace equipment.
Against this backdrop, Goyal’s expected US visit later in September will give the government an opportunity to take the concerns raised by exporters directly into the bilateral discussions.
Goyal is scheduled to attend the G20 Trade Ministerial in Milwaukee beginning September 30 and is expected to hold bilateral discussions with Greer on the sidelines of the two-day meeting. The US is holding the G20 presidency in 2026.
For exporters, the question is ultimately less about the meeting itself and more about what comes out of the negotiations that follow. A tariff advantage over competing Asian suppliers could potentially give Indian products more room in the US market, while the government will also have to weigh the broader balance of trade between the two countries.
The September 1 consultations are therefore likely to serve as a sounding board for the issues India could carry into its next high-level trade discussions with Washington.
This version keeps the meeting as the news, but the reader gets the bigger plot: India is gathering its exporters’ ammunition before Goyal goes into the US talks.
A rescuer assists a resident through heavy mud following flash floods on August 27, 2026 in Trishuli, Nepal. A sudden flood swept through the Bhote Koshi River basin in northern Rasuwa on August 26, damaging settlements, roads and energy infrastructure as rescue teams searched for residents and foreign travellers reported out of contact. Hundreds were reported missing, as the death toll started to climb.Getty Images
Rescue personnel provide medical treatment to a child at an army rescue camp in Trishuli Batar, Nepal, on August 27, 2026. A sudden flood swept through the Bhote Koshi River basin in northern Rasuwa on August 26, damaging settlements, roads and energy infrastructure, as rescue teams searched for residents and foreign travellers reported out of contact. Hundreds were reported missing as the death toll began to climb. Getty Ima
Family members of missing flood victims react at the emergency ward of the Maharajgunj Medical Campus, part of the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, on August 28, 2026 in Kathmandu, Nepal. Authorities said the flash floods were triggered after a mass of ice, mud and rock collapsed into a Himalayan river near the Nepal-China border, leaving hundreds dead or missing and causing widespread damage in affected districts. Authorities continued the gruelling search for victims, many buried under metres of mud, as both China and Nepal issued fresh flooding alerts.Getty Images