The White House has revised its fact sheet on the India-US trade deal, removing a reference to pulses and adjusting language around New Delhi’s offer to buy more American goods.
In a previous version of the India-US trade deal fact sheet, the White House said that India would “eliminate or reduce tariffs” on a wide range of US food and agricultural products, including certain pulses—a category that includes lentils and chickpeas. The updated statement no longer mentions the crops.
Neither pulses nor the broader reference to additional purchases appeared in the joint statement issued by the two nations on 6 February.
India-US trade deal fact sheet: The changes
1. Previously: “India committed to buy more American products and purchase over $500 billion of US energy, information and communication technology, agricultural, coal, and other products.”
Revised: India “intends” to buy more American products and omits the term “agricultural” from the list of product categories.
2. Previously: “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, red sorghum, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruit, certain pulses, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and additional products.”
Revised: The updated version removes the reference to “certain pulses”.
3. Previously: “India will remove its digital services taxes” and “committed to negotiate a robust set of bilateral digital trade rules that address discriminatory or burdensome practices and other barriers to digital trade”.
Revised: No mention of “India will remove its digital services taxes”, says “India committed to negotiate a robust set of bilateral digital trade rules”.
On 6 February, New Delhi and Washington D.C. released a joint statement that defined the contours of the India-US trade deal, which reduces the tariff on Indian goods to 18% from 25% and removes the punitive 25% imposed over India’s purchase of Russian crude.
In return, India intends to purchase $500 billion of US energy products, aircraft and aircraft parts, precious metals, technology products, and coking coal over the next 5 years.
