Negotiations over a potential India–U.S. trade agreement could face renewed friction, with agricultural tariffs emerging as a fresh point of dispute.
Two U.S. Republican senators have written to President Donald Trump, urging him to press India to remove a 30 per cent import duty on American pulse crops, arguing that the levy puts U.S. farmers at a “significant competitive disadvantage.”
Senators Steve Daines of Montana and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota said their states are the top producers of pulses such as peas, while India is the world’s largest consumer, accounting for roughly 27 per cent of global demand. Pulses including lentils, chickpeas, dried beans and peas are staple foods in India.
The senators noted that India imposed a 30 per cent tariff on yellow peas starting Nov. 1, 2025, a move that followed the Trump administration’s decision to levy 50 per cent tariffs on trade with India. They said the Indian duties have made it harder for U.S. producers to compete in the Indian market.
In their letter, the lawmakers encouraged Trump to raise the issue directly with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, arguing that easing pulse tariffs would benefit both American farmers and Indian consumers and strengthen broader economic cooperation.
The senators also recalled that during Trump’s first term, a similar intervention ahead of the 2020 trade talks — including a letter personally delivered to Modi — helped bring U.S. pulse producers into negotiations.
“As the United States looks to rebalance trade disparities, American farmers are ready to help fill the gap,” the lawmakers wrote, warning that unresolved tariff disputes could complicate efforts to finalize a broader trade agreement between Washington and New Delhi.