India-U.S. interim trade pact to be operationalised in April, says Commerce Minister

India's interim trade agreement with the United States is edging closer to completion, with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal stating that the deal could be signed in March and operationalised in April. He also indicated that India's free trade agreements with the United Kingdom and Oman are likely to be implemented in April, while the pact with New Zealand may come into force in September. The European Union has signalled a willingness to implement the deal as early as possible, and discussions with Canada on a broader trade pact are also progressing.

Earlier this month, India and the United States released a joint statement framing the interim agreement's contours. To finalise the text of the first phase, chief negotiators will meet in Washington next week. The Indian team will be led by Darpan Jain, a joint secretary in the Commerce Ministry, while the U.S. negotiators are expected to be led by the USTR. The signing is anticipated to occur during a three-day meeting beginning February 23, with work continuing to translate the framework into a binding legal instrument.

In a separate development, India joined the U.S.-led Pax Silica alliance, aimed at building resilient supply chains for critical minerals, aligning with Washington’s broader economic-security objectives. Goyal emphasised that the pace and convergence on tariff concessions signal a pragmatic approach to deepen trade ties while protecting domestic interests.Observers are watching how quickly the legal texts can be formalised and how early tariff concessions might influence supplier chains across sectors covered by the interim pact. The coming months are seen as a test of how swiftly these agreements can be rolled out and integrated into the wider trade framework.

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