After years of squabbling with the US, the government on Saturday said that Washington had agreed to easier rules to allow the export of Indian mangoes and pomegranates in return for the entry of American cherries and Alfalfa hay as well as pork.
The move will end a two-year restriction on the export of Indian mangoes to the US, which was earlier allowing imports but subsequently linked it to the export of Indian cherries and fodder. The decision to ease the rules was taken during a recent meeting between commerce minister Piyush Goyal and USTR Katherine Tai. On Saturday, the commerce department said that a framework agreement for implementing the "2 Vs 2 Agri market access issues" had been signed between the department of agriculture and farmer's welfare and US department of agriculture.
"Mango and pomegranate exports will start from January-February 2022 and pomegranate aril exports from April 2022. Exports of Alfalfa hay and cherries from USA will begin in April 2022," an official statement said. Further, following the ministerial discussions, the department of animal husbandry and dairying is also ready to provide market access for US pork and has requested the American administration to share a signed copy of final sanitary certificate to finalize a deal. Following the ouster of Donald Trump, trade hostilities between US and India have been receding with some progress seen on multiple fronts.