US pressuring India to limit steel exports

The US is putting pressure on the Government of India to restrain Indian steel companies from exporting too much steel and steel products to the US market despite the fact that Indian exports are well within the specified limit.

Recently top US Government officials had taken up the issue with the senior officials in the ministry of steel and had pointed out that Indian exports have crossed the specified limit last year.

According to the practice followed by the US, import of any particular commodity from any single country shall not exceed three per cent of total import of that commodity in one year.

This is done to make sure that the US does not become dependent on any single country for any particular product.

In the meeting with ministry officials, the US officials had stated that the total steel exports from India to the US last year were more than this three per cent limit.

But, government sources say that the calculations made by the US authorities included steel products, which are not manufactured in the US and thus do not qualify to be included in the limit.

The limit of three per cent is applicable only for such steel products that are manufactured in the US and added that if these steel items are excluded from the total export, Indian steel exports to the US market are within the limit.