Prime Minister Scott Morrison has stirred something of a bitter dispute with India over sugar exports during his first meeting with Narendra Modi.
Australia is threatening to take international trade action against India unless it cuts heavy subsidies paid to cane farmers, creating a sugar glut.
Mr Morrison said the issue had "pretty serious" implications for Australian farmers.
He raised the sticky stoush during his first face-to-face meeting with Mr Modi on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Singapore.
The prime minister made it plain Australia was unhappy with India's policies and would take all available steps to deal with the dispute.
"We have a very good relationship with India and we're seeking to resolve those issues, I think, within the framework of that relationship," he told reporters ahead of the meeting on Wednesday.
"There are obviously other paths open to us but we're seeking to do that in a co-operative way."
Australian Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said he had raised the "trade distorting subsidies" with his Indian counterpart multiple times.
"We are looking at and have been looking at options to engage through the World Trade Organisation to seek to have these matters resolved," Senator Birmingham said.
"Our sugar farmers deserve to be able to compete fairly on the global market without seeing sugar prices distorted in ways through other trade subsidies."
Senator Birmingham said Australia would continue to make "honest and fair" representations over the sugar dispute but would not allow it to sour relations with India.
"Our relationship with India - economically, strategically - is far richer, far stronger than one single issue."
The prime minister also raised with Mr Modi the revival of an Australia-India-Japan-US security quadrilateral, informally known as the Quad.
Mr Morrison said the four-way deal was critical for regional stability and prosperity.
India is believed to be holding out on committing to the agreement, which is designed to counter China's growing influence in the region.
"It remains an important architecture in the region for us," Mr Morrison told reporters, explaining it had important economic and strategic implications.
The pair also discussed an ambitious 16-nation free trade deal known as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
It is understood India is proving a major hurdle to progressing the deal - which would be the world's largest free trade pact.
The men also discussed progress on a long-term economic strategy, which is expected to be fleshed out when India's president visits Australia next week.
Mr Modi signalled he was keen to develop a road map on the strategy, while praising Australia's recent foreign policy white paper for putting India front and centre.
He thanked the navy for rescuing an Indian sailor from remote waters off Western Australia and the country for welcoming international students.
Australian Associated Press
