New Delhi, Nov. 18 -- Even as India's exports to the US fell in October, as revealed by trade data issued by the government on Monday, Union petroleum and natural gas minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced the signing of a one-year agreement for the import of 2.2 million tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from America.

This opens up one of the world's largest LPG markets to the US, Puri said. The contract's size may not be big, but it's still significant in diversifying India's imports and helping correct the trade surplus that India has with the US. Washington would want such purchases to rise, as also of other goods.

To be sure, LPG imports from the US may not necessarily be the most cost efficient, given the high logistical burde...