India, US Trying To End Trade Dispute Regarding Poultry Products, Says Official

India and the US mutually finished six of their trade-related disputes pending at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in July, after the June US visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

India and the United States are trying to resolve their conflict regarding poultry products, a senior government official claimed. The official noted that after resolving six trade disputes mutually, now both countries are trying to find a solution to their seventh dispute over poultry products. 

According to a PTI report, India and the US mutually finished six of their trade-related disputes pending at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in July, after the commitment made by both countries during the June US visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Among the six issues, three were initiated by India and three by the US. Now, both countries are on track to resolve the last trade dispute at the upcoming bilateral meeting of Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and US Trade Representative Katherine Tai in the Indian capital. 

Earlier, during PM Modi’s visit to the US in June, a joint statement by both countries noted that Modi expressed India’s interest in being recognised as a Trade Agreements Act-designated country by the US, to help develop both the economies and promote bilateral trade.

Now, both nations are looking forward to initiating official discussions regarding bilateral government procurement, the official noted. He added, “We also want to be part of their process, they also want us to be a part of our process,” as quoted in the report. 

The poultry dispute was filed by the US against India in the WTO in 2012. India lost the dispute at both the panel and appellate body levels and the ruling noted that India’s ban on poultry products imports from the US was inconsistent with global norms. As a consequence of not implementing the decision within the given time frame, the US demanded compensation from India. 

Currently, both nations are trying to find a solution to the conflict together. Notably, the US is India’s largest trading partner. The bilateral goods trade increased from $119.5 billion in 2021-22 to $128.8 billion in 2022-23.