A “multi-stakeholder roundtable”, chaired by Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM), National Co-Convenor Dr. Ashwani Mahajan, and attended by leading economists and trade experts, discussed the challenges that India faced on the proposed trade deal with the United States (US), including tariffs that the Donald Trump administration threatened to impose, and the strategy it should adopt.

In a social media post, SJM called the discussion enriching, “with the approach of ‘Nation First’” and that it would “definitely help in strategizing our dealing with the disruption caused by Trump’s tariffs”.

According to sources, the participants lauded the government’s efforts during its negotiations with the US to safeguard the interests of the country’s farming community and agricultural sector.

It was pointed out during the discussions that while India was negotiating with the US, the China-US trade war could escalate.

The participants spoke of the opportunities that could await India if proposed US-China trade talks were fruitless.

Participants were of the view that the government should remain committed to pursue its “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” policy in the face of the challenges.

All attendees at the meeting, held in hybrid mode, included Montek Singh Ahluwalia, once deputy chairperson of the erstwhile Planning Commission; economist Ila Patnaik; trade experts Abhijit Das and Pritam Banerjee; former Lok Sabha member Jayant Sinha; former ambassador to Switzerland Smita Purushottam; former Indian Revenue Service officer and trade negotiator Sangeeta Godbole; Ajay Srivastava of Global Trade Research Initiative; and author Sanjaya Baru.

“Focussed discussion on US-India trade relations convened by SJM. (I) came away hopeful that ‘Trump’s Tariff Tantrums’ can be managed,” Baru said in a social media post.

Sources said the government should protect India’s agriculture sector just as it had done by keeping the sector out of the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement and had also walked out of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership on the issue.

“The idea was to take a 360 degree view of trade and economic experts on the challenges and opportunities facing the country and what the strategy should be in the context of protecting our national interests,” said a source.

There is a growing sense that the Trump administration needs to understand the growing resistance in India on any concessions that might hurt the interests of its farmers.

On March 10, in Raipur the SJM national council passed a resolution saying India should give priority to bilateral trade agreements over multilateral deals and protect its national interests, especially the interests of farmers and small entrepreneurs, while negotiating with the US amid Trump’s “frontal attack” on the global free trade system.

https://www.business-standard.com/economy/news/roundtable-on-trump-tariffs-125031901373_1.html