Montana Governor Greg Gianforte will visit Sri Lanka on October 9 with First Lady Susan Gianforte and a delegation from the US state, seeking to expand agricultural trade and deepen security cooperation between Montana and Sri Lanka, according to a statement issued by the US Embassy in Colombo.
The delegation plans to meet Sri Lankan pulse importers and traders to explore opportunities for Montana-grown products. Montana is the leading US producer of pulses including chickpeas, lentils and dry peas. The discussions are intended to open new markets for the state’s agricultural products, expand opportunities for American farmers and strengthen commercial links with Sri Lankan businesses.
“From Montana’s farms to Sri Lanka’s Indian Ocean shores, this partnership connects economic opportunity with shared security,” US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Eric Meyer said. “We look forward to welcoming Governor Gianforte, First Lady Susan Gianforte, and the Montana delegation as they open doors for American farmers and deepen cooperation that benefits both our countries.”
Security cooperation will form a second major component of the visit. Brigadier General Trenton Gibson, Montana’s Adjutant General and Commander of the Montana National Guard, will accompany the delegation to advance defence cooperation through the State Partnership Program.
The programme has linked Montana and Sri Lanka since 2021. In 2025, the Montana National Guard and Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence signed a Memorandum of Understanding intended to formalise and expand cooperation in disaster response, maritime domain awareness and professional military education.
According to the embassy statement, the partnership is intended to strengthen disaster readiness, maritime security and the professional skills of military personnel while building longer-term institutional ties between Montana and Sri Lanka. Gianforte’s visit is expected to develop those existing areas of cooperation while also creating opportunities for agricultural trade.
Gianforte, who began his first business while still in high school, co-founded RightNow Technologies with Susan Gianforte in 1997 from their home in Bozeman. The company subsequently became the town’s largest commercial employer and created more than 500 high-paying jobs in Montana, according to the statement.
After 34 years in the private sector, Gianforte was elected Montana’s 25th governor in November 2020. He was re-elected in November 2024 and, according to the embassy, became the first Republican to begin a second term as governor of Montana since 1996.
The embassy statement said Gianforte’s experience as a businessman and entrepreneur has shaped his focus on expanding opportunities for residents of Montana, creating jobs and protecting the state’s way of life. It also credited his administration with tax cuts, eliminating state debt, increased education funding, higher teacher pay, increased law-enforcement funding and expanded public access to more than 100,000 acres of public land.
Gianforte and Susan Gianforte have been married since 1988 and raised their four children in Bozeman. The governor’s delegation will travel to Sri Lanka on October 9 as Montana seeks to build commercial links around its agricultural production alongside an established military partnership.
