New Delhi, Nov. 17 -- The US has exempted a group of agricultural and food-related products from the reciprocal tariffs it imposed earlier this year, a move that could offer India a narrow but meaningful opening in the US farm market. The 14 November decision removes commodities such as coffee, tea, tropical fruits, spices, cocoa, bananas, tomatoes, beef and certain fertilizers from the 2 April tariff list. These products will now face only normal Most-Favoured-Nation duties rather than the higher reciprocal duties of up to 50%.

The exemptions took effect on 13 November and apply to goods that the US either does not produce at scale or cannot cultivate due to climatic constraints. For India, the step comes as exporters grapple with the f...