India intends to slap tariffs on 29 American goods starting Sunday after deferring the duties several times since they were first announced in 2018.
Sources told The Economic Times and Reuters that the tariffs, worth at least $200 million, come after the White House this month withdrew a special trade status for India under the Generalized System of Preferences, which had allowed duty-free exports of up to $5.6 billion from the country.
Washington said India could not assure the U.S. that it will provide “equitable and reasonable access to its markets.”
{mosads}The tariffs will hit a slew of goods, including almonds, walnuts and apples.
They were first announced in June 2018 after the U.S. ramped up tariffs on Indian steel and aluminum but were delayed as negotiations between Washington and New Delhi were underway.
India is the largest consumer of U.S. almonds, spending $543 million for more than half of U.S. almond exports in 2018, according to Reuters. It also imported $156 million worth of U.S. apples in 2018, making it the second-largest buyer of the product.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the duties.
“What India is doing is legal and the tariffs on U.S. goods will only lead to an impact of around $220 million,” one source told Reuters.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is expected to travel to India later this month, saying this week the administration is open to resolving any trade dispute with New Delhi and demanding expanded access for American companies to Indian markets.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Trump will also meet at the Group of 20 summit in Japan later this month.
The Trump administration is currently engaged in a months-long trade war with China, with each side slapping billions of dollars worth of tariffs on each other as the White House seeks to rectify what is says is a trade imbalance and force action on other issues like intellectual property theft.