Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday said that India had protected its interests in sensitive sectors such as agriculture and dairy under the trade agreement with the United States.While addressing the Lok Sabha amid vociferous protests by the Opposition, Goyal, while reading out a statement on the India-US trade deal, which was announced late night on February 2, informed the Lower House that the deal would support the goals of Viksit Bharat and strengthen the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.The Commerce Minister further said that ensuring the energy security of India’s 140 crore people remained the government’s foremost priority, even as global energy dynamics continued to evolve.“I want to make it clear that ensuring the energy security needs of 140 crore Indians is the government’s top priority. In line with the changing international scenario, we are diversifying our energy sources with this objective in mind,” Goyal saidAddressing concerns over trade and strategic interests, the minister said India’s sensitivities in key sectors had been safeguarded.“India’s sensitivities in the fertiliser and agriculture sectors have been fully taken into account,” he said, adding that the government had protected the interests of farmers and dairy producers,” he informed further.Goyal said both India and its partners would move ahead keeping their respective economic priorities in focus.“Both sides will want to move forward while keeping their respective economies in mind and safeguarding their own interests. India has been successful in protecting the interests of its agriculture and dairy sectors,” he said.”On February 2, 2026, PM and US President Donald Trump held a telephonic conversation on several matters of bilateral and international importance. After this, President Trump announced the reduction in tariff to 18 per cent. I would like to emphasise on the fact that this tariff is lower than the US tariff on several competitor nations,” he told Lok Sabha.Even as he spoke at 12 pm when the House reassembled after an earlier adjournment, massive ruckus and sloganeering broke out in the Lok Sabha during his address.Opposition members displayed banners and yelled slogans, leading to the adjournment of the lower house of Parliament, soon after Goyal finished reading out the statement.
