India slashes tariffs on blueberries, cranberries and other U.S. ag exports

In the latest sign that trade ties between the U.S. and India are strengthening, tariffs to India have recently been cut for key U.S. commodities. This includes fresh, frozen and dried blueberries and cranberries, along with pulses, meat and poultry agricultural products.

The development, synced with the G20 summit in New Delhi, follows the lifting of India’s retaliatory tariffs on U.S. apples, chickpeas, lentils, almonds and walnuts that was announced earlier this summer that took effect this week, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement.

“Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA and [the Office of U.S. Trade Representative] have focused on rebuilding trust and strengthening relationships with our global trading partners, including India, and working through the World Trade Organization and other venues to ensure that those partners live up to their obligations so that U.S. agriculture has full and fair access to key export markets,” Vilsack said.

This resolution follows earlier trade breakthroughs between the U.S. and India in June in which India agreed to reduce tariffs on U.S. products that included apples, walnuts and almonds. Both trade deals work towards a resolution of the WTO’s long-standing poultry dispute, according to the Office of U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai.

Related news: USTR announces repeal of India’s tariff on U.S. apples, walnuts

“Resolving this last outstanding WTO dispute represents an important milestone in the U.S.-India trade relationship, while reducing tariffs on certain U.S. products enhances crucial market access for American agricultural producers,” Tai said in a news release. “These announcements, combined with Prime Minister Modi’s State Visit in June and President Biden’s trip to New Delhi this week, underscores the strength of our bilateral partnership.”

The North American Blueberry Council praised the recent announcement, viewing the U.S. trade effort milestone as the culmination of work and investment many years in the making.

“We applaud the Biden Administration for their work to strengthen U.S. trade relations with India. India is a key market for U.S. blueberry producers, and we welcome the opportunity to bring more blueberries to Indian consumers,” North American Blueberry Council President Kasey Cronquist said in a statement.

“The U.S. has long faced a 30% tariff in India, which has resulted in declining market share for American blueberries against countries that have enjoyed free trade and reduced tariffs with India,” Cronquist said. “The reduction in tariffs for U.S. blueberries will put American producers at a more level playing field with our competitors.”

Growers on the West Coast were the early drivers in bringing U.S. blueberries to India, she said.

“In 2017, the Washington Blueberry Commission secured a Specialty Crop Block Grant that laid important groundwork for what became an industrywide effort to lower the tariff in India,” Cronquist said. “I commend the WBC and all of our state organization partners for their leadership in developing the market for blueberries in India and for their continued partnership on this effort.”

The cranberry industry also joined in celebrating last week's announcement from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative that India will reduce tariffs on U.S. fresh, frozen, dried, and processed cranberry products, according to a statement from the Cranberry Marketing Committee. 

“This is an important achievement and one that will support U.S. cranberry growers and handlers across rural America to meet the growing demand in India for high quality U.S. cranberry products. Since the Cranberry Marketing Committee’s promotional efforts began in India in 2017, exports to the market have grown from $1.6 million to $8.6 million,” said the statement.

With tariffs reduced, U.S. cranberries will be more accessible to Indian trade and consumers in the years to come, said the statement.