Officials with the United States Department of Agriculture have announced that the government of India has agreed to allow imports of U.S. pork and pork products as the two countries work to strengthen trade ties.
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and Trade Representative Katherine Tai released a joint statement announcing the development Jan. 10.
“India’s agreement to allow U.S. pork imports for the first time is great news and a significant development for U.S. producers and for Indian consumers,” Tai said in the announcement. “We will continue working to strengthen the U.S.-India trade relationship and I appreciate Minister Goyal’s efforts to facilitate this important development.”
India's decision to allow the pork imports follows the two countries' recommencement of the U.S.-India Trade Policy Forum in New Delhi last November. During the meeting, Tai discussed the topic of pork exports to India with India's Minister of Commerce Piyush Goyal, according to the announcement.
The announcement of the pork import-export agreement came two days after the government of India announced it would begin exporting mangoes and pomegranates to the U.S., the Associated Press reports. This agreement is also a result of the TPF, the AP report states.
Agricultural trade between the United States and India has at times been challenging, officials acknowledge, with Vilsack saying the agreement "signals positive movement in U.S.-India trade relations."
“This new opportunity marks the culmination of nearly two decades of work to gain market access for U.S. pork to India,” Vilsack said in the statement. “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 USDA reports that the United States was the third-largest pork producer and second-largest exporter in the world in 2020, with global sales valued at $7.7 billion. The U.S. exported $1.6 billion in agricultural produces to India in 2021, the USDA reports.
The India newspaper the Hindu reports the India government announced pomegranate and mango exports to the U.S. would begin in January and February; the USDA did not state when the pork exports would ship to India.
