Washington: The White House has revised its Fact Sheet on the India-US trade deal, dropping the reference to pulses and changing the wording around India’s proposed $500 billion purchase from a firm “commitment” to an “intent.”
According to reports, the changes are significant given the sensitivity of agricultural imports, particularly pulses, for India’s farm sector.
The White House fact sheet had earlier explicitly mentioned “certain pulses” among the products for which India would reduce or eliminate tariffs.
“India will eliminate or reduce tariffs on all US industrial goods and a wide range of US food and agricultural products, including dried distillers’ grains (DDGs), red sorghum, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruit, certain pulses, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and additional products,” stated the earlier version of the Fact Sheet.
Reports said the revised paragraph makes no reference to pulses. Instead, it states: “India intends to buy more American products and purchase over $500 billion of US energy, information and communication technology, coal, and other products,” it reads.
The White House had released “The United States and India Announce Historic Trade Deal” fact sheet on February 9.
Reports said while the reference of the pulses has been dropped, the rest of the wordings around the ‘agricultural products’ remain the same. “India will eliminate or reduce tariffs on all US industrial goods and a wide range of US food and agricultural products, including dried distillers’ grains (DDGs), red sorghum, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruit, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and additional products,” the latest fact sheet says.
