Trump visit: No clarity yet on Indo-US trade agreement

US President Donald Trump has said he is looking forward to his first visit to India this month and indicated his willingness to sign a trade agreement with New Delhi "if we can make the right deal". However, even as preparations begin for a gala reception for the US president, there is still no clarity on the trade deal.

Sources told CNBC-TV18 that talks have been held for the past few weeks, but some demands from the US are "highly ambitious". There have been multiple rounds of talks between Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and USTR Robert Lighthizer over the telephone and this has happened multiple times in the past couple of weeks.

Issues on the table include the US demand for market access to the Indian agricultural sector, for products such as pistachio, apples and poultry-related items.

Then there is the issue of data localisation as Washington wants relaxed norms. Another issue is in the medical devices sector where India has capped margins.