FARM BODIES, EXPERTS FLAG CONCERNS AS INDIA-US TRADE DEAL REMAINS SHROUDED IN AMBIGUITY

Even as an Indian trade delegation is set to visit Washington next week to finalise the legal text of the first tranche of the India-US trade agreement, the ambiguities in the joint statement and the factsheet shared by the US over the issue have sparked major concerns within the farm bodies and trade experts some of whom have expressed concerns that most concessions emerging from the “unequal deal” “may flow from India to the US.”

- SHIKHA SALARIA

Farmers from Bharatiya Kisan Union Ekta Sangharsh protest march against the recent Indo-U trade deal, in Amritsar on Feb 11. ANI

While the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha has demanded the resignation of union commerce minister Piyush Goyal for “misleading the Parliament and the country,” trade experts have noted that the tariff cuts on US agricultural products are likely to hurt Indian farmers and trigger domestic opposition.

Even as some are terming the framework to be heavily balanced in favour of the US, some geopolitical observers believe that the deal was necessary to bring down the tariffs imposed by the US which has gone on a tariff imposition spree under Donald Trump.

Deal will hurt Indian farmers, open market for GM products: Sanyukt Kisan Morcha

Terming the framework of the India-US deal as “unequal,” the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has alleged that the government has been repeatedly changing its statements on the deal claiming that agricultural products are not going to be part of the deal.

“The government has been claiming that it will protect the farmers but the very first paragraph of the joint statement on the deal states that India will eliminate or reduce tariffs on a wide range of US food and agricultural products,” All India Kisan Sabha president Rajan Kshirsagar said.

Satyavan of the All India Kisan Khet Mazdoor Sangathan alleged that importing raw cotton at zero tariffs from the US will badly affect the Indian cotton farmers.

Founder-president of the Kisan Sangharsh Samiti (KSS) Dr Sunilam told TDG that the deal will affect the cotton producing farmers which are about 80-90 lakh in numbers across II states.

He further said that the deal will likely open the Indian market for US cereals and genetically-modified products too.