The long-pending US-India trade deal may have hit another roadblock, this time over pulses. Two American senators have urged President Donald Trump to ask India to remove a 30% import duty on US pulses. They described the tariff as “unfair.”
India’s move is perceived as a response to the harsh 50% tariffs imposed by Trump last year. That decision complicated trade negotiations further.
India is one of the largest producers of pulses. According to Statista.com, “The production of pulses such as tur, urad and other lentils across India was estimated to be over 24 million metric tons in the financial year 2024.”
In a letter dated January 16, Senators Kevin Cramer of North Dakota and Steve Daines of Montana highlighted that India imposed the 30% tariff on US yellow peas on October 30 last year, with the measure taking effect from November 1.
Indian public didn’t make the decision public. If anything, it was a balancing act amid strained India-US relations.
“That means India did retaliate to US tariffs by raising tariffs on imported pulses to 30%, which went into effect in October 2025,” author and geopolitical expert Navroop Singh tweeted.
The senators urged Trump to secure better market access for American pulses and lentils before any trade deal with India is finalised.
“India announced on October 30 that it will impose a 30% tariff on yellow peas imported from the US. The tariff went into effect on November 1. As a result of the unfair Indian tariffs, US pulse crop producers face a significant competitive disadvantage when exporting their high-quality product to India,” a part of the letter, published by a section of the media, reads.
The issue is particularly significant for agricultural states such as North Dakota and Montana, which rank among the top producers of peas and pulses in the US. For India, the stakes are equally high: the country is the world’s largest consumer of pulses, accounting for roughly 27% of global consumption.
“The most commonly consumed pulse crops in India are lentils, chickpeas, dried beans and peas. Yet, they have levied substantial tariffs on American pulse crops,” the senators added.
The senators also noted that they had raised the issue during Trump’s first term. At that time, Trump had “hand-delivered” the letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the 2020 trade negotiations, which “helped bring our producers to the (negotiating) table,” the senators said.
Trump visited India in 2020, attending the “Namaste Trump” event in Ahmedabad, which served as a platform for the two leaders to showcase their camaraderie.
Observers say the recent development underscores a transactional US approach that overlooks India’s domestic realities. A key sticking point in trade talks has been the Trump administration’s push for broader access to India’s agricultural and dairy markets—issues that remain politically sensitive in New Delhi.
If a trade deal demands opening India’s pulse market at the cost of domestic producers, there will be no trade deal, experts have noted.
Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, India had lifted import duties on certain varieties of pulses to curb food inflation, Bloomberg reported, signaling that Trump may have lost negotiating leverage and was caught off guard by India’s moves.
Also Read: US Bill Puts India On Notice: Tariffs Could Reach 500% For Buying Russian Oil https://www.vibesofindia.com/us-bill-puts-india-on-notice-tariffs-could-reach-500-for-buying-russian-oil/
