Indian farmers protest a new US trade deal, fearing cheap imports will threaten local agriculture despite government assurances on safeguards
MUMBAI: Indian farmers have expressed deep concern over concessions made to Washington in a new bilateral trade deal.
The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), a major farmers’ coalition, labelled the agreement a “total surrender” to American agricultural giants. They warned that Indian industry and agriculture now face a grave threat from cheap imports being dumped into domestic markets.
The group has called for a nationwide protest on February 12. Their statement argued that “Indian farms are very small and they can’t really compete with highly subsidised US agriculture,” according to former agriculture ministry official Siraj Hussain.
Under the deal’s terms, India will eliminate or reduce tariffs on a wide range of US food and agricultural products. This includes tree nuts, fresh fruits like apples, soybean oil, wine, and spirits.
Officials hope safeguards like import quotas or minimum prices for commodities such as apples will reduce the impact on local producers. The SKM, however, fears the “import of fresh fruits such as apples… will ruin the farmers.”
Trade Minister Piyush Goyal sought to stem concerns by reassuring farmers their interests were safeguarded. He stated that “no concessions” were made in sensitive areas including grains, dairy, poultry, meat, and several fruits and vegetables.
The minister also confirmed genetically modified crops were not part of the agreement. This excludes GM soybean, for which the US has been aggressively seeking new markets.
Opposition lawmaker Jairam Ramesh said easing imports of items like dried distillers’ grains and soybean oil would hurt “millions of soybean farmers” in key states. The farm sector is a critical political bloc, contributing 16% to India’s GDP but providing a livelihood for over 45% of the population.
Between January and November 2025, Indian imports of US agricultural goods rose 34% year-on-year to just under $2.9 billion. Top imports included cotton, soybean oil, ethanol, and nuts like almonds.
Experts predict a further reduction in duties for products like soybean oil will likely lead to a jump in imports from the US.
