India has launched a new digital trade portal to help small and first-time Indian exporters connect directly with US buyers, aiming to accelerate bilateral trade towards a $500 billion target amid ongoing negotiations and trade tensions.
India has opened a digital trade portal designed to bring its exporters, particularly small firms and first-time sellers, into closer contact with US buyers as New Delhi works to lift bilateral trade to $500 billion by the end of the decade. According to the Consulate General of India in New York, the India–USA Trade Facilitation Portal is a web-based business-to-business marketplace that lets Indian companies present their products and capabilities to American customers across sectors.
Binaya S. Pradhan, India’s consul general in New York, said exporters of goods and services will be able to use the platform to reach American buyers, including major retailers such as Amazon, Walmart and Costco. The portal is intended to give smaller Indian businesses a more structured route into the US market at a time when the United States remains India’s biggest export destination and still absorbs about a fifth of shipments, despite New Delhi’s push to diversify overseas sales.
The launch comes against the backdrop of continuing trade talks between the two countries. In February, the White House said the United States and India had agreed a framework for an interim trade arrangement and reaffirmed wider negotiations on a bilateral trade agreement. It also said both sides were pursuing more reciprocal and balanced trade, while a separate White House fact sheet said India intended to buy more American products and that the broader deal would open its market further to US goods.
India’s trade relationship with the US has been marked by both growth and friction. The two governments set the $500 billion target during Narendra Modi’s meeting with Donald Trump last year, and Commerce Ministry data showed goods and services trade reached nearly $141 billion in the year to March. But ties have also been strained by tariff disputes, India’s purchases of Russian oil and Trump’s claims over his role in India-Pakistan tensions, even as both leaders continue to stress their personal rapport.
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