In the earlier version of the White House fact sheet released on Tuesday, “certain pulses” were specifically listed among US agricultural products on which India would eliminate or reduce tariffs.
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New Delhi: In a significant relief for India, the United States has revised its fact sheet on the recently concluded India-US trade deal, removing the explicit mention of “certain pulses” from the list of items eligible for tariff reduction.
Additionally, the language around India’s proposed $500 billion purchase of US goods has been softened from a firm “commitment” to an “intent,” making the target less binding.
What Has Changed?
In the earlier version of the White House fact sheet released on Tuesday, “certain pulses” were specifically listed among US agricultural products on which India would eliminate or reduce tariffs.
The earlier document stated:
“India will eliminate or reduce tariffs on all US industrial goods and a variety of US food and agricultural products. These include dried distillers' grains (DDGs), red sorghum, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruits, certain pulses, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and other products.”
However, the updated version of the fact sheet, currently available on the White House website, no longer mentions pulses in the list.
Revised Agricultural Product List
While pulses have been dropped, the rest of the agricultural items remain unchanged. The revised statement reads:
“India will eliminate or reduce tariffs on all US industrial goods and a wide range of US food and agricultural products. These include dried distillers' grains, red sorghum, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruits, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and other products.”
The removal of pulses is being viewed as significant, given the political and economic sensitivity of the commodity in India.
India’s Pulses Import Profile
India imported pulses worth $5.48 billion in FY2024-25, marking a 46% increase from $3.75 billion in FY2023-24. Despite the surge in overall imports, the US accounted for only $89.6 million worth of India’s pulses imports in FY25.
By value, pigeon pea (tur dal) topped the import list in FY2024-25 at $1,285.4 million. It was followed by:
The revisions to the trade fact sheet - particularly the softer wording around the $500 billion purchase and the removal of pulses - are likely to be seen as a diplomatic win for New Delhi as both nations continue to strengthen economic ties.
