US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer described India as 'a tough nut to crack' on agriculture during talks in Washington, but expressed optimism about finding mutually agreed common ground.
The comments came as an Indian trade delegation led by chief negotiator Darpan Jain met with US officials for a three-day round of face-to-face talks.
The two sides are working towards a balanced, mutually beneficial and forward-looking trade agreement, with a target of $500 billion in bilateral goods and services trade by 2030.
Greer confirmed the two sides were actively engaged, citing progress on issues including access to India's agricultural market and exports of animal feed products.
The talks are proceeding on two broad tracks: establishing a legally tenable tariff architecture and securing India's comparative advantage over competing exporters.
