India not complying with WTO order on poultry: Kenneth Juster

Picture Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

India not complying with a 2015 WTO order on poultry import ban is a "troubling issue", the US president's nominee to be the next envoy to India has said, underlining that if confirmed, this would be one of the top trade issues for him.

In 2015, India had lost a case at the World Trade Organisation when the body ruled that India's ban on import of poultry meat, eggs and live pigs from the US was "inconsistent" with the international norms.

India was given 12-18 months to implement this ruling, after which the US can begin exports of these products to India.

During his confirmation hearing, Kenneth Juster assured members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that this would be one of the top trade issues for him in Delhi.

"That is a troubling issue," Juster said when Senator Chris Coons asked about hurdles in exporting US poultry products to India.

"Since 2006 there had not been any imports of poultry. It is a WTO case that the US prevailed in. But in our view, India still has not complied with that," he said.

"So, this will be another of the trade and business issues that if confirmed will be pursing with the Indian government," Juster said.

Coons said that the Indian market is one from which the US has been effectively excluded for a number of years.

"I would hope if you are to be confirmed to have the opportunity to pursue further with you a discussion about how we might access the Indian market for this tasty high quality American agricultural export," he said.