Farmer's body opposes the India-US trade deal, government says farmers’ interests protected

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha on Tuesday demanded the annulment of the interim India-United States trade deal, calling it anti-farmer, and announced public meetings across the country ahead of the resumption of the Budget session on March 9.

The farmer's body appealed to President Droupadi Murmu to direct PM Narendra Modi not to sign the agreement.

The appeal followed an online press conference in which the Samyukt Kisan Morcha said it would organise meetings to discuss and send an open letter to the President. The group also demanded action against the commerce minister, accusing the government of opening the agriculture and dairy sectors to multinational corporations and undermining India’s self-reliance and sovereignty.

Responding to the concerns, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the interim trade deal was finalised after thorough consideration and would not harm farmers. Speaking at a programme in Jaipur, Chouhan said the government had fully safeguarded the interests of the farming community and assured there would be no losses.

Addressing concerns over imports of pulses, apples, cotton, and other products, Chouhan said domestic production of pulses and cotton falls short of demand, while apples are already imported from countries such as Turkey and Iran. He added that limited imports from the United States would not affect Indian farmers if adequate safeguards are in place.

The SKM also demanded that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman withdraw a finance ministry letter asking the Kerala government to review and possibly discontinue bonuses on wheat and paddy. It said delegations of its state units would meet chief ministers and leaders of the opposition on February 27 or later to urge them to scrap the trade deal and protect the federal rights of states.