India, Sept. 9 -- The India-US trade pact is "more or less" finalised, with the two sides discussing only a few remaining issues, and the agreement will be signed at an appropriate time, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarawal said on Wednesday.

Agarawal said a trade agreement must provide a certain degree of preferential market access to both sides.

"My minister (Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal) on record has multiple times indicated that the deal has more or less been finalised. There are a few things which both sides are discussing, but it will be signed at an appropriate time," he told reporters here.

He explained that India, which operates on most-favoured-nation (MFN) tariffs, has greater flexibility in offering preferential access, wh...