Special Secretary Rajesh Agrawal, who heads India’s negotiating team for an India–US bilateral trade agreement, said New Delhi hopes to seal an interim deal by September–October. India has already concluded FTAs with the UK, Australia and the UAE and is in advanced talks with the EU, Chile and Peru, he noted.
Agrawal stressed that predictable tariffs and world‑class logistics are indispensable if India is to lift its share of global trade from about 2 percent to 10 percent. He added that dependence on foreign‑controlled shipping lines creates a $50‑billion services‑trade deficit and leaves exporters vulnerable to crises such as Red Sea disruptions.