US Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez will be studying India’s plans to liberalize its retail sector while encouraging New Delhi to play a bigger role in helping wrap up the Doha round of world trade talks on a visit to India next week, he said on February 8.
Gutierrez is leaving Washington tomorrow (Feb. 11) for a trip to India, during which he is expected to urge India to do more to help break a deadlock in world trade talks.
Gutierrez, who is former CEO of Kellogg Co, said US retailers and other businesses are interested in opportunities stemming from India’s overhaul of its highly restricted retail sector. “Retail trade in India is still very much small stores, individually owned, and they’re looking at liberalizing that to allow large supermarkets,” he said.
“That would be such a boost of energy for the Indian economy. All of a sudden you’d get serious investment there,” he added.
