New Delhi, July 5 -- India will not hurry into signing a free trade agreement under pressure from any deadline, commerce minister Piyush Goyal said on Friday, when asked whether a deal could be reached with the US in time for a July 9 deadline set by Washington. Speaking on the sidelines of the 16th Toy Biz International B2B Expo in New Delhi, Goyal emphasised that India is ready to make trade deals in the national interest but it "never negotiates trade deals with a deadline". When asked specifically about prospects of an interim US deal by July 9, he said any agreement would be announced only when "fully finalised, properly concluded and in the national interest." The minister's comments came as India's negotiating team, led by chief negotiator Rajesh Agrawal, returned to Delhi Thursday after week-long talks in Washington. Despite having a draft interim agreement in hand, people familiar with the discussions said, key issues around automobiles and agriculture remain unresolved. The government has refused to fully open its agriculture sector, particularly around genetically modified crops and dairy products. The country remains unwilling to allow items like soybean and corn unless certified as non-GM, since GM crops are banned domestically. "India was, however, willing to give some product-specific concessions where its farmers were completely protected," said one of these people, asking not to be named. On dairy, India cited two main concerns: the subsistence-level nature of its farming, where millions depend on just one or two cows or buffaloes, and religious sensitivities around US cattle feed that includes non-vegetarian products. "The livelihoods of millions of farmers are at stake as they could not compete with America's commercial-scale dairy farms," said a second person, speaking on condition of anonymity. To protect its farmers, India has softened its initial demand for the US to completely revoke the 26% "Liberation Day" reciprocal tariff that President Trump announced April 2, the second official stated. The tariff comprises a 10% baseline levy already in effect and an additional 16% country-specific tariff set to trigger July 9. India had originally sought withdrawal of all retaliatory tariffs but appears willing to accept partial relief in exchange for limited agricultural concessions. Outside of these negotiations, India on Friday told the World Trade Organization that it plans to go ahead with levies on some US goods in retaliation to Washington's higher tariffs on automobiles and their components. US' safeguard measures would hit $2.9 billion imports annually from India with $723.75 million in duties. "Accordingly, India's proposed suspension of concessions would result in an equivalent amount of duty collected from products originating in the US," according to a notification sent to the WTO. The current negotiations focus on an "early harvest" deal covering goods alone, which would serve as a precursor to the first tranche of a comprehensive Bilateral Trade Agreement expected by October 2025. That broader deal would include services and investment provisions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Trump agreed in February to more than double bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030 through a full-scale agreement. Goyal noted India is simultaneously negotiating trade deals with multiple partners, having recently concluded agreements with the UAE, Australia and UK, while talks continue with the EU, New Zealand, Oman, Chile and Peru. "FTAs are possible when both sides benefit," Goyal said in Hindi. "National interest should always be supreme." The two sides will continue engaging virtually as the July 9 deadline approaches, the people cited above added....