India has protected its farmers and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) by not offering duty cuts on many products in the new trade pact with Oman. The agreement was signed on December 18, 2025, in Muscat. The Commerce Ministry said India excluded sensitive products from concessions to safeguard its interests. These include agricultural items such as dairy, tea, coffee, rubber, and tobacco, as well as gold and silver bullion, jewellery, footwear, sports goods, and scrap of base metals. For some products valuable to Oman but sensitive for India, the pact allows limited duty concessions under a Tariff-Rate Quota (TRQ) system. This means India will lower duties only on imports up to a fixed quota. Items in this category include dates, marbles, and petrochemical products. An official said Oman permitted Indian companies to import marble blocks, which Oman typically bans. Under the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), dates have a yearly duty-free quota of 2,000 tonnes. This careful approach aims to balance trade while protecting key sectors in India.