Indian Exporters Risk Losing US Orders as Trade Talks Dither

Workers at a garment factory in Tiruppur, India.Photographer: R. Satish Babu/AFP/Getty Images

Provide news feedback or report an error

Confidential tip?

Send a tip to our reporters

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

By Satviki Sanjay and Shruti Srivastava

January 7, 2026 at 12:00 AM UTC

Updated on

January 7, 2026 at 9:47 AM UTC

Indian exporters of products ranging from home decor to leather shoes are worried about missing the US summer shopping season if they are unable to lock in orders in January as trade-deal talks drag on between New Delhi and Washington.

This will be the decisive month for sealing the trade pact so contracts can be secured for the first half of 2026, according to half a dozen local exporters who spoke to Bloomberg News. The punitive 50% US tariffs since August already hurt the exporters’ order volumes in the typically busy winter and Christmas season in 2025.