'Won't Even Buy Our Corn...': US Commerce Secretary Warns India Of 'Tough Times' Over Tariffs

Last Updated:September 14, 2025, 21:02 IST

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick launched a new attack on India's trade policies, saying it sells everything to the United States but closes its market to American goods.

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. (Reuters)

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has launched a new attack on India’s trade policies, accusing it of little openness while opening its markets to American agricultural exports, while benefiting from global commerce.

Speaking to Axios in an interview, Lutnick said, “India brags that they have 1.4 billion people, then why wouldn’t they buy one bushel (25.40 kg) of corn from us. Doesn’t that rub you the wrong way? They sell everything to us and they won’t buy our corn. They put tariffs on everything."

“So the (US) President (Donald Trump) says, bring down your tariffs and treat us the way we treat you. We’ve got to right years of wrong, so we want tariffs to go the other way until we fix this. That’s the President’s motto and you either accept it or you are going to have a tough time doing business with the world’s greatest consumer," he added.

Lutnick’s response came to a question on whether the US is mismanaging “very valuable relationships" with “important allies" like India, Canada and Brazil with the tariffs imposed on these countries.

Lutnick pointed out that while India’s global influence is growing and it often portrays itself as a free-market democracy, its protectionist policies over agricultural exports remain a source of frustration for US businesses. “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 to take advantage of," he told Axios.

Tensions Over US Tariffs

The remarks came after relations between India and the United States became strained after Trump imposed 25% reciprocal duties on Indian goods along with an additional 25% levy tied to New Delhi’s imports of discounted Russian crude – bringing the total tariff burden to 50 per cent, among the steepest in the world.

Trump recently acknowledged that his decision to impose steep tariffs on India for its purchase of Russian oil strained ties with New Delhi, even as he struck an optimistic note about ongoing trade negotiations. However, reports in international media suggested that the US has urged the G7 bloc and the European Union to impose 100% tariffs on imports from India and China.

Lutnick had earlier said India must make meaningful concessions to maintain strong economic relations with the United States, starting with reducing its reliance on Russian crude imports, a sore point in trade talks between New Delhi and Washington, along with opening its markets to US agricultural products.

“Either support the dollar, support the United States of America, support your biggest client – who’s the American consumer – or, I guess you’re going to pay a 50% tariff. And let’s see how long this lasts," he told CNBC.

When asked about the meeting between Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the recent SCO Summit, Lutnick had remarked, “I think what happens is it’s all bravado because you think it feels good to fight with the biggest client in the world. But eventually, your businesses are going to say you’ve got to stop this and go make your deal with America."

News world 'Won't Even Buy Our Corn...': US Commerce Secretary Warns India Of 'Tough Times' Over Tariffs

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