Montana Governor Greg Gianforte will arrive in Sri Lanka on Friday, 9 October, with First Lady Susan Gianforte and an official state delegation, for a visit aimed at agricultural trade and security cooperation, the US Embassy in Colombo said.
The announcement was reported by NewsFirst and by the Daily Mirror, both citing the embassy statement.
Pulses are the commercial objective
Montana is the largest US producer of pulses — chickpeas, lentils and dry peas — and is seeking new export channels for its growers. The delegation is to meet Sri Lankan pulse importers and traders to examine market openings and build longer-term commercial relationships.
Pulses are a staple of the Sri Lankan diet and are largely imported, which makes the sector an unusually direct fit for a US state whose agricultural output is concentrated in exactly those crops.
A military track travels with the trade delegation
Brigadier General Trenton Gibson, Montana’s Adjutant General and Commander of the Montana National Guard, is accompanying the Governor to advance the State Partnership Program, which has paired Montana with Sri Lanka since 2021.
The embassy statement also pointed to a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2025 between the Montana National Guard and Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence, formalising cooperation in disaster response, maritime domain awareness and professional military education.
The visit reverses an earlier trip
The relationship has been running in the other direction for some time. In April, a Sri Lankan delegation led by Ambassador Mahinda Samarasinghe travelled to the Montana Security and Economic Summit at Gianforte’s own invitation, holding talks on critical minerals, port security and disaster preparedness. The partnership has since produced a joint disaster-response exercise and National Guard cooperation on disaster management.
Not reported
Neither filing gives the length of the visit, the Sri Lankan ministers or officials the Governor will meet, or whether any agreement is expected to be signed. No value is placed on current Montana–Sri Lanka pulse trade, and neither outlet reports a comment from the Sri Lankan government.
