The White House has revised its factsheet on the proposed India-US interim trade deal, making key changes to language on agricultural imports, investment commitments and digital taxation following concerns flagged by New Delhi.
In the earlier version of the document, the US had stated that India would cut or eliminate tariffs on a list of American agricultural products, including tree nuts, fruits, soybean oil, wine, spirits and “certain pulses.” The mention of pulses, a politically sensitive crop in India, drew attention because India is the world’s largest producer and consumer of lentils, chickpeas and other pulses, and domestic farmers depend heavily on tariff protection.
In the updated factsheet, the specific reference to “certain pulses” has been removed. Instead, the language now broadly mentions improved access for a “wide range of US agricultural products,” without naming individual commodities.
Another notable revision relates to India’s proposed purchases of American goods. The original text said India was “committed” to buying more than $500 billion worth of US products over the next five years, including energy, coal and technology equipment. The revised version softens this to say India “intends” to purchase such goods, signalling that the figure is indicative rather than a binding obligation. Mentions of agricultural goods within this purchase commitment have also been omitted.
Changes were also made to the section on digital trade. The earlier draft suggested India would remove or roll back its digital services tax. The revised document now says both countries will work toward negotiating digital trade rules, bringing the language in line with prior joint statements.
Sources indicated that the corrections were made to accurately reflect what had been mutually agreed upon.
