Agarwal Defends India Quality Control Orders at WTO Review

India's quality control orders are intended to achieve legitimate public policy objectives, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal told the World Trade Organization on Thursday.

Agarwal spoke at the Eighth Trade Policy Review of India in Geneva. The review drew 1,094 written questions from 44 WTO members. Several members have raised issues about the orders, which set mandatory standards for a range of products. Agarwal did not name the members or the specific products covered by the questions. Trade remedy investigations, he said, are conducted transparently, based on objective evidence and due process.

Agarwal defended India's tariff structure. Agricultural tariffs protect the livelihoods of small, low-income farmers, he said. Industrial tariffs, he said, support supply chain resilience and domestic manufacturing capabilities. Tariff reforms and customs simplification measures have strengthened the country's integration with the global economy, he said.