US-India trade deal: India may relent on GM animal feed, stays firm on dairy & agri
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New Delhi: India is looking to allow imports of certain genetically modified (GM) farm products used in animal feed as part of the proposed bilateral trade deal with the US but New Delhi remains firm on not giving concessions in market access in the sensitive dairy and agricultural sectors, people said.Talks on the deal are nearing conclusion with some last minute finetuning, said a person privy to the development, adding it could be announced well before the July 9 deadline when the US government's moratorium on reciprocal tariffs ends.An announcement on the trade deal is expected no later than the midnight of July 4-5, a second person said.The deal could be unveiled in phases and the issue of levying taxes on digital services could also be done separately, the person said."Sensitive agriculture and dairy products are out of the deal. There could be some farm products such as apples where limited concessions are being worked out," said an official, adding that concessions for US-made automobiles are high on priority list.India is demanding greater access for labour-intensive industries such as textiles and electronics. "Only those goods are being considered where both sides are on the same page," the official said.The US wants duty concessions in sectors such as industrial goods, automobiles such as electric vehicles, wines, petrochemical products, dairy, agriculture items such as apples, tree nuts, and GM crops. It also wants to export GM corn and soya bean to India."For non-GM crops, we want a certificate, but they say that it's difficult to do so because both varieties grow together," the official said.
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