New Delhi, Feb. 3 -- Until President Donald Trump's return to the White House on 20 January 2025, US tariffs were largely a non-issue for Indian exporters. That low-tariff environment ended in April 2025, when Washington imposed sweeping reciprocal duties, sending the US trade-weighted average tariff into double digits for the first time in decades.

A new trade deal now marks a partial rollback, with the US on Monday saying that tariffs on Indian goods will be cut to 18%-a shift after decades in which tariff barriers between the two countries were relatively modest.

"India-US trade deal will further expand and deepen trade between two of the largest economies of the world. It will create more opportunities for our labour-intensive and m...