(Feb 11): The White House revised its fact sheet on the US-India trade agreement to adjust language around agricultural goods, adding to confusion about the deal already raised by farmer groups.
In a revised statement on the trade deal, the US removed a reference to pulses — a staple food in India that includes lentils and chickpeas — and adjusted language around India’s offer to buy more American goods.
An earlier version on Monday released by the White House said India would “eliminate or reduce tariffs” on a wide range of US food and agricultural products, including certain pulses. The updated statement posted online no longer mentions the crop.
India is the world’s largest consumer of pulses, accounting for more than a quarter of global demand, according to the United Nations. Farmer groups in the country have already raised concerns about a lack of clarity about the deal and concessions offered to US farmers. Samyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella group of farmer associations in India, has vowed a nationwide protest on Thursday against the trade deal.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, which has long insisted that farmers’ interests will be protected in trade agreements, has sought to reassure the sector about the interim pact reached with the US after months of negotiations. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal has repeatedly said that sensitive agricultural products such as dairy and poultry were kept out of the talks, and that no import concessions were granted for genetically modified US crops.
In the fact sheet on Monday, the White House said India had “committed” to purchase US$500 billion ($631.4 billion) worth of American goods, including energy, information and communication technology, coal and agricultural products. The revised document says India “intends to” make those purchases, while also dropping the reference to agricultural goods.
See also: Australia and EU enter final stretch in long-running trade talks
The White House press office didn’t immediately respond to an email sent outside of business hours. India’s Ministry of Commerce also didn’t respond to an email seeking clarification.
Officials in New Delhi had previously maintained that the government had only expressed an intention to increase purchases of US goods and that no binding commitment had been made.
The updated fact sheet also removed a reference that India will scrap digital services taxes, and now only says that the Asian nation is “committed to negotiate a robust set of bilateral digital trade rules.” The White House also removed a reference to “rules that prohibit the imposition of customs duties on electronic transmissions.”
Uploaded by Magessan Varatharaja
