US lawmakers urge Trump to seek lower Indian tariffs on pulse crops in trade talks
New York/Washington (PTI): Two US lawmakers have urged President Donald Trump to push for favourable provisions for pulse crop in any future trade deal with India, saying American producers face a "significant competitive disadvantage" due to what they described as "unfair” tariffs imposed by New Delhi.
In a letter dated Jan 16 addressed to Trump, Republican Senators Steve Daines of Montana and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota said their states are the top two producers of pulse crops, including peas, while India is the world's largest consumer, accounting for about 27 per cent of global consumption.
They noted that lentils, chickpeas, dried beans and peas are among the most commonly consumed pulse crops in India, but New Delhi has imposed substantial tariffs on American exports in these categories.
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The Senators pointed out that India announced on October 30 last year a 30 per cent tariff on yellow peas, which came into effect on November 1, 2025.
“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,” the letter said.
Daines and Cramer said engaging Prime Minister Narendra Modi on pulse crop tariffs to enhance the economic cooperation between the two countries would be “mutually beneficial” for both American producers and Indian consumers.
Thanking Trump for his efforts to secure a favourable economic environment for agricultural producers in North Dakota and Montana, the Senators said that as trade negotiations move forward, they encourage him to seek favourable pulse crop provisions in any agreement the US signs with India.
They recalled that during Trump’s first term, they had raised the issue ahead of the 2020 trade negotiations with India, and that the President had “hand-delivered” their letter to Modi, which they said helped bring US producers to the negotiating table.
“As the United States looks to rebalance trade disparities, American farmers are ready to help fill the gap. They have tremendous capacity to feed and fuel the world if trade opportunities are unleashed,” the lawmakers said in the letter.
In their 2020 letter, written ahead of Trump's visit to India that year, the Senators had said that “unfair” Indian tariffs on pulse crops had substantially harmed US pulse crop producers, particularly after India was removed from the Generalised System of Preferences in June 2019, following which additional duties were imposed on American exports.
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Man arrested for drug peddling in Ullal; MDMA worth ₹65,000 seized
Mangaluru: Ullal police arrested a man for allegedly drug peddling and registered a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
According to a report published by Deccan Herald on Saturday, police seized 13 grams of MDMA, a banned narcotic substance, worth approximately ₹65,000, along with cash and other materials.
Commissioner of Police Sudheer Kumar Reddy said based on credible information, a team of officers and staff from the Ullal Police Station conducted a raid at a public place near Ranipur Ground in Munnur village of Ullal taluk.
During the operation, police apprehended Imtiyaz alias Mohammed Imtiyaz (40), a resident of Sajipa Munnur, Nandavara in Bantwal taluk.
The accused was allegedly procuring MDMA and selling it at a high price to customers, including college students. Upon his arrest, the police recovered 13 grams of MDMA, ₹2,000 in cash, one mobile phone, a weighing scale, and other related items from his possession.
A case has been registered under Sections 8(c) (unauthorized production), 22(a) (illegal manufacture), 22(b) (intermediate quantity) and 22(c) (commercial quantity) of the NDPS Act, 1985. Further investigation is under way, police said.
