India has 1.4 billion people but won’t buy our corn: US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on tariffs

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has once again hit out at India, accusing New Delhi of blocking American exports while taking advantage of the US market. He specifically targeted India’s trade stance on agricultural goods, saying the country refuses to buy even a small quantity of American corn.

“India brags about having 1.4 billion people but won’t buy even a small amount of American corn,” Lutnick said in an interview on Saturday. He asserted that New Delhi must lower tariffs or face a “tough time” doing business with the United States.

Asked whether Washington was mismanaging relations with allies like India, Canada and Brazil through tariffs, Lutnick said, “The relationship is one way, they sell to us and take advantage of us. They block us from their economy, and they sell to us while we are wide open for them to come in (and) take advantage.”

He added, “The president says, ‘fair and reciprocal trade’.”

Sharpening his criticism, Lutnick remarked, “India brags that they have 1.4 billion people. Why won't 1.4 billion people buy one bushel of US corn? Doesn’t that rub you the wrong way that they sell everything to us and they won’t buy our corn. They put tariffs on everything.”

According to Lutnick, US President Donald Trump’s message is clear: “Bring down your tariffs, treat us the way we treat you.”

The Commerce Secretary further underlined Washington’s approach, saying, “We’ve got to right years of wrong so we want a tariff going the other way until we fix this. That's the president's model, and you either accept it or you're going to have a tough time doing business with the world's greatest consumer.”

The Trump administration has imposed 50 per cent tariffs on India, including 25 per cent on New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil — among the steepest penalties levied on any country.

India has termed the US measures “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable.” Defending its purchase of Russian crude, New Delhi has consistently maintained that energy procurement is guided by national interest and market dynamics.

*With Agency Inputs