US Trade Chief To Discuss India Restricting American Soda Ash Imports

WASHINGTON, DC -The Trump administration will raise with New Delhi concerns over India’s proposed restrictions on imports of American soda ash, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told lawmakers on July 22, indicating the issue will form part of broader trade engagement between the two countries.

Greer said this to the Senate Finance Committee during a hearing on President Donald Trump’s 2026 Trade Policy Agenda.

The assurance came after US Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), urged the administration to ensure fair market access for American soda ash producers, saying Indian manufacturers had petitioned their government to restrict imports from the United States.

Barrasso said Wyoming, which produces the world’s largest natural deposits of trona used to manufacture soda ash, was concerned that India could impose limits on American exports despite US producers being able to “compete with anyone in the world on a level playing field.”

Greer said Washington would raise the matter directly with Indian officials.

“I will raise this with them next time,” he said. “They have internal processes on trade remedies as we do, but we want to make sure that any process they have is fair, that our producers are being treated fairly and they get to the right answer.”

India and the United States are negotiating a broader bilateral trade arrangement aimed at expanding market access, lowering trade barriers and strengthening economic ties. Officials from both countries have held multiple rounds of discussions covering agriculture, industrial goods, digital trade and manufacturing. (IANS)