Commerce Minister of India Piyush Goyal says that a new digital portal to bring US-India business together helping the two countries to trade with each other is open. The goal is to reach $500 billion in annual trade between the two great democracies.
“Forged on shared democratic values, fueled by entrepreneurial spirit and driven by unrelenting pursuit of innovation, our partnership is special”, Goyal said on April 8, 2026, when the India-US Trade Facilitation Portal was opened at India’s consulate-general in New Delhi.
In a video message from New Delhi, he remarked that “Bilateral trade is growing rapidly towards the $500 billion ambition set by both sides, and this goal must also benefit MSMEs (Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises), our farmers, and our fishermen to become more inclusive.”
He went on to say, “We must focus in this era of digital transformation and resilient supply chain on becoming more self-reliant.”
Vikram Misri, the Foreign Secretary, opened the portal from Washington and said that recent events around the world, such as the COVID pandemic and changing global political situations, have shown how important it is to have supply chains that are diverse, strong, and dependable.
Mistri said, “The disruptions that all of you have been witnessing over the last several years have exposed vulnerabilities in the global economic and especially the trading makeup. But just where there are vulnerabilities, there are also opportunities.”
He added, “There is much greater emphasis on the need for trusted partnerships, for dependable geographies, and for partners, “and it is in this context that the idea of a dedicated digital platform for facilitating trade has emerged.”
The Indian consulate says that the digital portal to bring US-India business together is a digital highway that connects Indian innovation and American enterprise.
It goes on to give the US importers a lot of choices for finding new suppliers using AI-powered matching and smart search for exporters. It also has a safe, private dashboard for businesses in order to keep an eye on deals in real time.
It is well to be noted that the portal gives Indian MSMEs a chance to show off their goods to US importers, which they wouldn’t be able to do otherwise, it said.
Indian companies can get in touch with big companies like Walmart and Costco through webinars and learn how to follow US laws.
Misri said that the trade relationship between India and the US has been strong enough to handle the recent problems caused by tariffs and global uncertainty.
He said that bilateral trade has hit an all-time high of $241 billion, making the US India’s largest bilateral trading partner for the fourth year in a row.
He said, “It’s remarkable that this growth has been achieved in the face of what I refer to as the volatility that we witnessed, both on the bilateral front, on account of issues to do with tariffs, but also on a more general front, due to the prevailing global economic volatility.”
President Donald Trump’s trade war imposed a 50% tariff on India, but then it was lowered to 18%. However, the tariffs were mostly thrown out by a US Supreme Court decision.
Vikram Mistri added, “Over time, over the years, the India-US trade relationship has demonstrated exceptional resilience and dynamism, notwithstanding the challenges that we have seen posed to it in the very recent past.”
Vinay Kwatra, India’s ambassador to the US, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made it clear that reaching $500 billion in trade between India and the US would be a vital component of the goal of Viksit Bharat, which means making India a developed country by 2047, which is the 100th anniversary of India’s independence.
“Our effort today would not only contribute to achieving that mission of $500 billion [bilateral trade] but would also play a larger role in significantly adding to the economic gains that our economy would make”.
Binaya Srikanta Pradhan, the Council-General, said that importers and exporters have begun to sign up for the portal. There has been a great response from different channels and export promotion councils.
He said that all the consulates are functioning on virtual exhibitions and classes and added that later in April 2026, the Seattle consulate is putting on a presentation by Costco, the massive warehouse-style store with 646 locations across the US, on how to join its supply chain.
