Daines Calls for Increased Trade Opportunities for Montana Pulse Crop Farmers in India

• January 16, 2026

U.S. SENATE - U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) today sent a letter to President Trump urging favorable pulse crop provisions in any future trade agreements between the United States and India. Montana is the top producer of pulse crops in the U.S., and India is the top consumer in the world.

"Thank you for your efforts to secure a favorable economic environment for North Dakota and Montana agricultural producers. As trade negotiations progress, we encourage you to push for favorable pulse crop provisions in any agreement the United States signs with the Republic of India…

…North Dakota and Montana are the top two producers of pulse crops, including peas, and India is the world's largest consumer of these crops, contributing to approximately 27% of the world's consumption…

… India announced on October 30, 2025, it would impose a 30% tariff on yellow peas. The higher duty went into effect on November 1, 2025. As a result of the unfair Indian tariffs, U.S. pulse crop producers face a significant competitive disadvantage when exporting their high-quality product to India…

…In your first term, we wrote to you on this issue, and you hand-delivered our letter to Prime Minister Modi during the 2020 trade negotiations with India, which helped bring our producers to the table…

… Engaging Prime Minister Modi on pulse crop tariffs to enhance the economic cooperation between our countries would be mutually beneficial to both American producers and Indian customers," they wrote in the letter.

Read the full letter HERE.

In 2020, Daines & Cramer sent a similar letter to President Trump, which he hand-delivered to Indian Prime Minister Modi. Read the letter from 2020 HERE.

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