US accounted for a fifth of India’s exempt agri imports in 2024

A Moneycontrol analysis of trade data shows that the US accounted for nearly one-fifth of India’s imports in these exempt agricultural categories, led primarily by nuts, wine and spirits.

• US supplies 19% of India's exempt agricultural imports, mainly nuts
• American nuts make up over $1 billion of India's $1.6 billion nut imports
• US leads in wine and spirits, but lags in fruits and soybean oil.

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The US already has a significant presence in India’s agricultural commodity imports, which are expected to remain exempt or lightly treated under the proposed India-US trade framework. A Moneycontrol analysis of trade data shows that the US accounted for nearly one-fifth of India’s imports in these exempt agricultural categories, led primarily by nuts, wine and spirits.

India imported agricultural products worth about $8.1 billion globally across key exempt segments, including nuts, fruits, wine and spirits, soybean oil, and feed-related commodities. Of this, imports from the US stood at roughly $1.55 billion, translating to an estimated share close to 19 percent.

The dominance of the US is especially visible in specific product categories.

In the case of nuts, India imported about $1.6 billion globally, with the US accounting for over $1 billion — making it by far the largest supplier. This reflects longstanding trade patterns in which American almonds, pistachios, and walnuts dominate India’s dry fruit segment.

Similarly, the US has a strong foothold in wine and spirits, supplying about $446 million worth of products, second only to European producers when the EU and UK are combined.

However, the picture is mixed in other agricultural segments.

For instance, India imported about $1.27 billion worth of fruits globally, but the US share was relatively modest at roughly 3 percent, indicating significant headroom if tariffs or market access conditions ease under the bilateral trade arrangement.

Meanwhile, imports of soybean oil — a major agricultural commodity for India — are dominated by other suppliers, with the US presence currently negligible. US accounted for about $500,000 worth of processed soybean oil shipments.

In terms of dried feed, the US share was minimal, accounting for about $250,000 of imports from India in the category