The delegation includes representatives from agriculture, aerospace, biotechnology, quantum, photonics and education. Montana Governor Greg Gianforte is leading a delegation of more than 30 people to India and Sri Lanka to explore business opportunities, expand educational partnerships and strengthen research collaboration.
In an exhaustive interview with NDTV’s Vishnu Som, Governor Gianforte spoke about India-US trade, Montana’s agricultural exports, the proposed trade deal between India and the United States, education, biotechnology, professional mobility, critical minerals, Indian students and the upcoming US midterm elections. Q. How important is an India-US trade deal for Montana and the United States? Greg Gianforte: Well, this deal is critically important for our relationship. Greg Gianforte: I brought the president of one of Montana’s flagship universities with me to establish relationships on a number of levels. We love having Indian students in Montana. We also like cross-research opportunities that we have. Montana has a deep history in biotechnology. In fact, we have some of the most lenient laws as it relates to right to try. We’re seeing massive investment in biotechnology products. Greg Gianforte: As I mentioned, pulse crops, lentils, peas, chickpeas — we’re the number one producer in North America, in the United States, and in other agricultural markets. We have long-term, multi-year contracts that give our growers certainty, just as you want certainty and prosperity for your farmers. We want the same thing for our farmers. So if you want the proteins to be there in a year where you might not have your own, you might have to make some commitments in the off years to make sure that they’re there and being a dependable partner. So this is what we have in other markets, whether it’s our malt barley that we sell into Mexico or other markets. We’re looking to establish long-term relationships. Those are the types of business relationships that we’d like to establish in Montana.
Because businesses both in India and the US need certainty in order to expand their relationship, president Trump and Ambassador Gore have been working very closely to get it over the finish line. Because we make it easier to get products to market, and we would welcome similar relationships with Indian firms that want to bring their products to the North American market, firms even moving from Silicon Valley to Montana.
“Our delegation stands ready to showcase Montana as a best state for business, expand educational partnerships, and strengthen research collaboration,” Gianforte said.
When I was in Japan last year, you know, we have relationships there for grain that have spanned multiple generations of growers and buyers.
