Washington, Dec 4: A senior US Senator in a meeting this week urged Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal to remove tariffs and barriers to trade on pulse crops.

Republican Senator Steve Daines represents the state of Montana in the US Senate. Montana is a leading pulse-growing state of the United States and certain tariffs imposed by India, Daines says has been hurting farmers from his state.

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"With Montana being the number one producer of pulse crops in the nation, and India being the largest consumer of pulse crops in the world, it's a critical market to open for Montana," he said.

“We must level the playing field and increase access to the Indian market for Montana's pulse crop farmers. Developing these relationships with India's top trade officials and India's pulse crop importers will go a long way towards ensuring Montana is at the top of the discussion during the trade forum later this month and helping remove the tariffs and trade barriers Montana farmers currently face,” Daines said.

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Visiting India ahead of the US-India Trade Policy Forum scheduled later this month, Daines also hand delivering letters from the Montana Farm Bureau Federation, the Montana Grain Growers Association, and the USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council to Goyal, urging the removal of tariffs and barriers to trade on Montana pulse crops.

Daines then visited the Naya Bazaar in Old Delhi and met with some of India's pulse crop importers. He shared more lentil crunchers from Farver Farms as a representation of the quality crops Montana farmers have to offer.

During the trip, Daines also met with leaders and students from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi and toured some of their labs. Daines discussed the need for American and Indian technology and innovation sectors to find areas of collaboration to counter China's influence.

In February 2020, then US President Donald Trump personally delivered a letter from Daines to Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling for favourable pulse crop provisions in any trade deal with India, a media release said.

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