US pork products are to be allowed into India for the first time following an agreement between the two countries.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said the deal removed a “long-standing barrier to US agricultural trade”.
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The agreement was announced by US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Trade Representative Katherine Tai following the raising of the issue with India’s Minister of Commerce, Piyush Goyal, at the US-India Trade Policy Forum held in New Delhi in November 2021.
Vilsack said: “This new opportunity marks the culmination of nearly two decades of work to gain market access for US pork to India – and it signals positive movement in US-India trade relations.
“We will continue working with the Indian government to ensure that the US pork industry can begin shipping its high-quality products to consumers as soon as possible.”
Tai added: “India’s agreement to allow US pork imports for the first time is great news and a significant development for US producers and for Indian consumers.”
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By GlobalDataUSDA pointed out that in 2020 the US was the world’s third-largest pork producer and second-largest exporter, with global sales of pork and pork products valued at US$7.7bn.
In the 2021 fiscal year, the US exported more than $1.6bn of agricultural products to India.
A guide for exporters to India published by the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service notes an estimated 30-35 percent of the country’s 1.39bn population remains vegetarian while following the tenets of Hinduism.
