US senator Steve Daines pushes for American pulses' access to Indian market

US Senator Steve Daines urged faster India-US trade talks, pressing for greater market access for American pulses, a long-standing and sensitive issue for New Delhi

United States (US) Senator Steve Daines has called for “acceleration” in the ongoing trade talks between India and the US, while pushing for favourable market access for American pulses, according to an official statement on Tuesday.

 

Daines made the comments during his January 17-19 visit to India. Representing Montana, America’s top pulse producing state, Daines statement is emblematic of renewed pressure from US farm states for greater market access in agriculture products – a sensitive area for India.

 

“Daines pursued interests of the Trump administration as well as the people of Montana, including urging favourable pulse crop provisions in any future trade agreements between the United States and India. Montana is the top producer of pulse crops in the United States, and India is the top consumer in the world. Daines sought acceleration of the active and ongoing talks towards concluding a fair and reciprocal bilateral trade deal,” according to the statement released by the US Embassy.

 

Daines’ visit included meetings in New Delhi with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, members of parliament, and US and Indian business leaders. US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor was also present during the meetings.

 

“I came to India to reaffirm our two countries’ shared values and strategic partnership and to advocate on behalf of Montana’s pulse crop farmers. I appreciated Minister Goyal for listening to our farmers’ concerns and will continue to work with President Trump to press this important priority,” the statement quoted Daines as saying.

 

India is the largest producer and consumer of pulses and currently imposes 30 per cent import duty. Greater market access for agriculture products has long remained a sensitive and a non-negotiable issue for New Delhi in trade agreements, given that the majority of Indian farmers are smallholder farmers.

 

Last year, even as India and the US were close to a trade deal, Washington’s insistence to secure greater market access for the sensitive agriculture and dairy sectors have been one of the deal breakers.

 

India–US bilateral trade agreement (BTA) negotiations were launched in March and have so far included half a dozen rounds of talks. The most recent informal discussions took place in New Delhi during the visit of a trade team headed by the deputy US Trade Representative (USTR). Thereafter, the discussions were on a pause due to the year-end holiday season, amid the missed “Fall” deadline and uncertainty regarding the finalisation of the deal.