U.S. lawmakers urge Trump to seek lower Indian tariffs on pulse crops in trade talks

Two U.S. lawmakers have urged President Donald Trump to push for favourable provisions for pulse crops in any future trade deal with India, saying American producers face a “significant competitive disadvantage” due to what they described as “unfair” tariffs imposed by New Delhi.

In a letter dated Jan 16 addressed to Mr. Trump, Republican Senators Steve Daines of Montana and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota said their states are the top two producers of pulse crops, including peas, while India is the world’s largest consumer, accounting for about 27% of global consumption.

They noted that lentils, chickpeas, dried beans, and peas are among the most commonly consumed pulse crops in India, but New Delhi has imposed substantial tariffs on American exports in these categories.

The Senators pointed out that India announced on October 30 last year a 30% tariff on yellow peas, which came into effect on November 1, 2025.

“As a result of the unfair Indian tariffs, U.S. pulse crop producers face a significant competitive disadvantage when exporting their high-quality product to India,” the letter said.

Mr. Daines and Mr. Cramer said engaging Prime Minister Narendra Modi on pulse crop tariffs to enhance the economic cooperation between the two countries would be “mutually beneficial” for both American producers and Indian consumers.

Thanking Mr. Trump for his efforts to secure a favourable economic environment for agricultural producers in North Dakota and Montana, the Senators said that as trade negotiations move forward, they encourage him to seek favourable pulse crop provisions in any agreement the US signs with India.

They recalled that during Mr. Trump’s first term, they had raised the issue ahead of the 2020 trade negotiations with India, and that the President had “hand-delivered” their letter to Modi, which they said helped bring US producers to the negotiating table.

“As the United States looks to rebalance trade disparities, American farmers are ready to help fill the gap. They have tremendous capacity to feed and fuel the world if trade opportunities are unleashed,” the lawmakers said in the letter.

In their 2020 letter, written ahead of Mr. Trump’s visit to India that year, the Senators had said that “unfair” Indian tariffs on pulse crops had substantially harmed U.S. pulse crop producers, particularly after India was removed from the Generalised System of Preferences in June 2019, following which additional duties were imposed on American exports.