The White House has quietly softened elements of its factsheet on the proposed US-India trade framework, dropping a reference to India opening up the domestic market for American pulses and recasting New Delhi’s touted $500 billion import pledge as a statement of intent rather than a firm commitment. India is the world’s largest consumer of pulses, accounting for more than a quarter of global demand, according to theUnited Nations. Farmer groups in the country — a major voting bloc — had raised concerns about a lack of clarity on the deal and concessions offered to the US. However, both versions of the factsheet mention “additional products” – a broad sweep that could involve multiple items. Trade economists have flagged the perils of India agreeing to such a deal, which will be hard to fulfil and could spell disaster for its current account deficit if India sticks to its end of the bargain.

Source: The Telegraph February 12, 2026 02:47 UTC