Trade liberalization to boost India’s farm exports, says Niti Aayog’s Ramesh Chand

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The trade deal being negotiated with the US is set to benefit India’s agriculture exports, the same way trade liberalization in the last 25 years has helped Indian farm exports grow faster than global agricultural trade, Ramesh Chand, member, Niti Aayog has said in an interview. Chand told Mint that the India-US deal is set to help meet rising domestic demand for items like edible oils and nuts that cannot be met entirely locally, while also opening up market for India’s surplus farm produce including rice.

Chand said it may be early to comment on possibility of El Nina conditions developing later this year, but farm sector output is expected to grow faster than the projected 3.1% growth for FY26, in the next financial year, barring any major shocks. Chand said continued trade liberalization and internal reforms will maximize the potential of India's increasingly diversified and resilient agriculture sector, with higher exports and farmer prosperity. Even after the deal is in place, India will maintain its agriculture and overall trade surplus with the US, Chand said.

“We will get a big advantage in the US market for our fish exports. Already we are a big rice exporter to that nation. They love our fruits, including mangoes and pomegranates.

This deal will ensure that the preference US gave to other countries through trade deals, for example, Bangladesh will get considerably diluted," said Chand. Liberalizing trade at a faster pace than in the past will deliver large benefits for the farm sector, he added. India’s agriculture exports grew from about $5.3 billion to $52 billion in the last 25 years, faster than the sector's global trade in the period, Chand explained, citing the