The Donald Trump administration has quietly revised its official factsheet outlining the “key terms” of the “historic” India-US trade deal, removing references to tariff reductions on “certain pulses” and modifying language around a $500 billion purchase “commitment.”
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The changes are significant. Agricultural imports — particularly pulses — remain politically sensitive in India, where the farm sector accounts for nearly one-fifth of GDP.
In the original factsheet released Tuesday, the White House stated: “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.”
However, the updated version removes the mention of pulses. It now reads: “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, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and additional products.”
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India is the world’s largest producer and consumer of pulses such as lentils, chickpeas and dry beans. To protect domestic farmers, New Delhi maintains substantial tariffs on these imports. The deletion suggests pushback from India on how the deal was characterised.
“Agri Goods” Removed, Language Softened on $500 Billion Purchase
The revised document also drops explicit references to agricultural goods in a key paragraph about India’s planned purchases from the United States.
The earlier version stated: “India committed to buy more American products and purchase over $500 billion of US energy, information and communication technology, agricultural, coal, and other products.”
The updated text replaces “committed” with “intends” and removes agricultural goods from the list: “India intends to buy more American products and purchase over $500 billion of US energy, information and communication technology, coal, and other products.”
The shift from “committed” to “intends” marks a notable dilution of the original language.
Digital Services Tax Claim Walked Back
Another key revision concerns digital services taxes.
Previously, the factsheet said: “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, including rules that prohibit the imposition of customs duties on electronic transmissions.”
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The revised version no longer mentions removing digital services taxes. It now states: “India committed to negotiate a robust set of bilateral digital trade rules that address discriminatory or burdensome practices and other barriers to digital trade.”
Political Flashpoint in India
The revisions came a day after Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge criticised the BJP-led Centre over the framework of the Interim Trade Agreement with Washington.
Calling the deal a “PR-wrapped betrayal,” Kharge alleged that pulses and genetically modified feed — including DDGs and red sorghum — were “silently added” to the pact.
In a post on X, he said: “We were told that the Indo-US Joint Statement said nothing on Russian oil, even though Mr. Trump publicly tweeted otherwise. Now the White House fact sheet clearly lists ‘India’s commitment to stop purchasing Russian Federation oil’ as a condition for removal of an additional 25 per cent tariff. The Modi government agreed to this erosion of India’s sovereignty. Why? The Congress party had already exposed the Executive Order placing India under US monitoring for direct or indirect oil imports.”
Kharge also questioned whether the agreement protects India’s strategic autonomy, farmers and textile sector.
Centre’s Assurance to Farmers
The Narendra Modi government has defended the agreement.
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said sensitive sectors remain protected.
“I can say with absolute certainty that our farmers, artisans, and handloom industry will not suffer any harm,” Goyal said at a briefing, describing the trade deal as “fair, equitable, and balanced.”
He added that no concessions were granted on items considered sensitive in India.
Why Agriculture Matters
India’s agriculture sector is valued between $580 billion and $650 billion, according to a June report by McKinsey & Co., which estimates the sector could grow to $1.4 trillion by 2035.
Given the scale and political importance of farming in India, even minor language shifts in trade documents carry significant weight.
