India’s gherkin exports — a key segment of the country’s processed vegetable shipments — may decline by as much as 10 per cent in the coming months after the United States imposed steeper tariffs on Indian imports, industry officials and exporters say.
The U.S. has progressively raised reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods this year, making Indian agricultural and processed products more expensive in America compared with competing suppliers from Mexico, Canada and Turkey. Gherkins, which already faced duty barriers in the U.S., are now expected to lose competitiveness in what is India’s largest export market for the pickled vegetable, according to exporters.
“Tariffs make our gherkins uncompetitive in the U.S., and demand is likely to soften as buyers look to alternate sources,” said a senior representative of the Indian Gherkin Exporters Association. Exporters estimate that volumes could drop by up to 10 per cent if duties remain elevated.
Processed gherkins account for a significant share of the U.S. import market, and higher landed costs are prompting some American distributors to shift orders to suppliers not facing the same tariff burden. Exporters are urging government support and trade negotiations to restore earlier duty levels or secure exemptions.
The broader U.S. tariff regime has already weighed on other Indian export sectors, with think-tank data showing a sharp overall decline in shipments to the United States this year.
