US Commerce Secretary slams India for trade imbalance, corn imports refusal
Warns New Delhi of ‘tough time’ over high tariffs, Russian oil deals
Washington: US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has sharply criticized India for blocking American agricultural exports while continuing to benefit from access to the US market, warning New Delhi of a “tough time” ahead unless it lowers its tariffs.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Lutnick, in an interview with Reuters, pointed out the irony of India boasting of its 1.4 billion population but refusing to buy “even one bushel of American corn.” He accused New Delhi of maintaining protectionist barriers while enjoying wide access to US markets. “They sell to us and take advantage of us. They block us from their economy while we are wide open for them to come in. Doesn’t it rub you the wrong way that they won’t buy our corn but sell everything to us?” he remarked.
The Commerce Secretary emphasized that US President Donald Trump had made it clear to India: “Bring down your tariffs, treat us the way we treat you.” He added that unless New Delhi corrected the imbalance, Washington would keep imposing tariffs to “right years of wrong.”
The Trump administration has already slapped 50 percent tariffs on India, including 25 percent on its purchases of Russian crude oil, among the highest such duties imposed on any country. Lutnick said this was part of a model of “fair and reciprocal trade” and warned that India must adapt or “have a tough time doing business with the world’s greatest consumer.”
India, on its part, has called the US measures “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable.” Officials in New Delhi defended the import of Russian oil, saying energy procurement was guided purely by national interest and market dynamics. KMS—2K
