India Tariff Issues for U.S. Agricultural Exports

India's high agricultural tariffs are a significant impediment to U.S. agricultural exports and certain Indian non-tariff measures (NTMs), including sanitary and phytosanitary measures, substantially limit or effectively prohibit certain U.S. agricultural products. Agriculture is vital to India's economy, accounting for a substantial share of employment (60%) and GDP (17%). Broad intervention by the Indian government in the agricultural sector, including restrictive and variable trade policies, are designed to protect domestic producers and consumers. This book provides an overview of Indian agricultural production, imports, and consumption during 2003-08, as well as Indian tariffs and NTMs, the Indian food marketing and distribution system, and Indian government regulations relating to the agricultural market, including foreign direct investment and intellectual property rights policies.