White House softens India-US trade deal factsheet, removes pulses and adjusts $500 billion purchase language

The White House had first released ‘The United States and India Announce Historic Trade Deal’ fact sheet on February 9, detailing the landmark agreement.

Washington: The White House has revised its fact sheet on the recently announced India-US trade deal, removing the mention of pulses from the list of agricultural products and replacing the “commitment” of $500 billion in purchases with language indicating India’s “intent” to buy.

These adjustments carry weight, especially in the context of India’s agricultural imports, where pulses are a politically and economically sensitive category.

Released on February 9, the earlier version of the fact sheet had explicitly listed pulses along with a wide range of other products. “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,” it stated.

However, the document makes no mention of pulses. Instead, it describes India’s purchases in more general terms, “India intends to buy more American products and purchase over $500 billion of US energy, information and communication technology, coal and other products.”

Despite the removal of pulses, the rest of the agricultural product references are intact. The latest fact sheet continues to highlight India’s tariff reductions on a range of US food and industrial goods, including DDGs, red sorghum, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruits, soybean oil, wine and spirits.

India’s pulses trade in perspective

India’s pulses import bill has seen a rise in recent years, climbing 46% to $5.48 billion in FY2024-25, up from $3.75 billion in FY2023-24. Despite this surge, the United States accounted for only $89.65 million of total imports, indicating a relatively minor role in the market.

Among pulses imported from the United States, lentils accounted for $78 million last fiscal year. By comparison, Canada and Australia dominated the supply chain, contributing $466 million and $328 million respectively.

Breaking down India’s pulse imports in FY2024-25, pigeon peas led the pack at $1.29 billion, followed closely by Bengal gram at $1.12 billion, yellow peas at $961 million and lentils at $916 million.

Policy measures continue to influence trade flows. Tur (pigeon peas) and urad are duty-free until March 31, 2026, while yellow peas have faced a 30% import duty since November 1, 2025. Lentils, the main pulse imported from the United States, carry a 10% import duty.

These revisions to the fact sheet highlight the delicate balancing act in US-India trade relations, where economic ambitions, political sensitivities and sector-specific considerations all intersect.