India has agreed to allow imports of U.S. pork and pork products into its country. The U.S. Trade Representative and USDA Secretary made the announcement jointly on Monday. The U.S. Trade Representative’s office says the news follows the successful revitalization of the U.S.-India Trade Policy Forum which was held in New Delhi in November.
At that time Ambassador Katherine Tai raised the importance of access for U.S. pork with Indian Minister of Commerce Piyush Gyal.
The U.S. Trade Representative said the following in a news release: “India’s agreement to allow U.S. pork imports for the first time is great news for U.S. producers and for Indian consumers,” said Ambassador Tai. “We will continue working to strengthen the U.S.-India trade relationship and I appreciate Minister Goyal’s efforts to facilitate this important development.”
“This new opportunity marks the culmination of nearly two decades of work to gain market access for U.S. pork to India – and it signals positive movement in U.S.-India trade relations,” said USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack. “We will continue working with the Indian government to ensure that the U.S. pork industry can begin shipping its high-quality products to consumers as soon as possible.”
The U.S. Trade Representative says in 2020, the U.S. was the world’s third-largest pork producer and second-largest exporter, with global sales of pork and pork products valued at $7.7 billion. In fiscal year 2021, the United States exported more than $1.6 billion of agricultural products to India.
