Washington [US], January 11 (ANI): United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai and United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced that the Government of India has agreed to allow imports of US pork and pork products into India, removing a longstanding barrier to US agricultural trade.

The news follows the successful revitalization of the US India Trade Policy Forum held in New Delhi in November 2021, during which Ambassador Tai raised the importance of access for U.S. pork with Indian Minister of Commerce Piyush Goyal.

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"India's agreement to allow US pork imports for the first time is great news for US producers and for Indian consumers," said Ambassador Tai. "We will continue working to strengthen the US.-India trade relationship and I appreciate Minister Goyal's efforts to facilitate this important development."

"This new opportunity marks the culmination of nearly two decades of work to gain market access for US pork to India - and it signals positive movement in U.S.-India trade relations," said Secretary Vilsack.

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"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."

In 2020, the US was the world's third-largest pork producer and second-largest exporter, with global sales of pork and pork products valued at USD 7.7 billion. In the fiscal year 2021, the US exported more than USD 1.6 billion of agricultural products to India, according to US Trade Representative. (ANI)

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