WASHINGTON:
US tariffs of 50 percent took effect Wednesday on many Indian products, doubling an existing duty as President Donald Trump sought to punish New Delhi for buying Russian oil.
India has criticized the levies as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable,” with its export body calling on Wednesday for government intervention to assuage fears of heavy job cuts.
Trump has raised pressure on India over the energy transactions, a key source of revenue for Moscow’s war in Ukraine, as part of a campaign to end the conflict.
The latest salvo strains US-India ties, giving New Delhi fresh incentive to improve relations with Beijing.
But US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox Business on Wednesday that Trump had good ties with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“I think at the end of the day, we will come together,” he said.
While Trump has slapped fresh duties on allies and competitors alike since returning to the presidency in January, this 50-percent level is among the highest that US trading partners face.
Crucially, however, exemptions remain for sectors that could be hit with separate levies — such as pharmaceuticals, computer chips and smartphones.
Industries that have already been singled out, such as steel, aluminum and automobiles, are similarly spared these countrywide duties.
The United States was India’s top export destination in 2024, with shipments worth $87.3 billion.
But analysts have cautioned that a 50-percent duty is akin to a trade embargo and is likely to harm smaller firms.
Exporters of textiles, seafood and jewelry were already reporting cancelled US orders and losses to rivals such as Bangladesh and Vietnam, raising fears of heavy job cuts.
Ajay Sahai, director general of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations, called for “liquidity support from the government.”
“We want to ensure that even if business stops, we are able to keep workers on the payroll”, he told AFP, saying they were “still optimistic” for trade negotiations.
The world’s fifth-largest economy is looking to cushion the blow, with Modi promising to lower the tax burden on citizens during an annual speech to mark India’s independence.
Modi earlier vowed self-reliance, pledging to defend his country’s interests.
The foreign ministry previously said India had begun importing oil from Russia as traditional supplies were diverted to Europe over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
It noted that Washington actively encouraged such imports at the time to strengthen stability in the global energy market.
Russia accounted for nearly 36 percent of India’s total crude oil imports in 2024. Buying Russian oil saved India billions of dollars on import costs, keeping domestic fuel prices relatively stable.
