India-US Trade Deal: With the trade deal between India and the US “almost at the finish line now”, a digital platform will soon be unveiled to facilitate trade in goods and services between both nations.
What is the platform?
Dubbed as the ‘India–US Trade Facilitation Portal’, the platform will jointly be launched by The Consulate General of India, New York, and Embassy of India, Washington, DC, along with all the Consulates General of India in the US.
The portal will connect Indian exporters with US importers and promote sector and state-specific opportunities in trade of goods and services, including MSMEs and ODOP products.
Registration
The Consulate General of India, New York, announced in an X post that the registration module opens on March 10, 2026, and the portal will go live by March end.
Benefits
– B2B connect between Indian exporters and US importers.
– Focus on states and sector specific goods and services and MSME, ODOP
– Easy category – wise listing and search
– Virtual exhibitions for products and services
‘Won’t give India leverage…’
The United States doesn’t want to give India a leverage it once gave to China, which led to its rise and emerged as a major competitor to them, views Christopher Landau, Deputy Secretary of State.
According to Bloomberg, Landau’s comments have come amid the India-US trade deal as final negotiations are ongoing after last month’s announcement before the deal is signed.
What Trump claimed on India-US trade deal
US President Donald Trump, while announcing a trade deal with New Delhi last month, claimed India has agreed to not procure crude oil from Russia.
India has been maintaining that it will procure oil from multiple sources and diversify them to ensure stability in the supply chain with national interests remaining the “guiding factor” for the procurement.
Landau also made a mention of the proposed trade deal between India and the US and said it is “almost at the finish line now”, and can be the basis for unlocking “almost limitless potential”.
Crude oil prices surge amid US-Israel war against Iran
Global oil and gas prices have surged after Iran virtually blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow shipping lane between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, that handles roughly 20 per cent of global oil and LNG.
“I hope India is thinking of alternate sources. I can’t think of a better alternate source than the US. We want to cooperate with India,” Landau said, speaking at the Raisina Dialogue.
India-US trade
During 2021-25, the US was India’s largest trading partner in goods. The US accounts for about 18 per cent of India’s total exports, 6.22 per cent in imports and 10.73 per cent in bilateral trade.
In 2024-25, the bilateral trade touched USD 186 billion (USD 86.5 billion exports and USD 45.3 billion imports).
(With inputs from PTI)
