Holding firm on agri red lines
By N Chandra Mohan
Farmer unions are restive over the trade deals being negotiated by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government and seek consultations before they are inked. Their opposition is not just to the current deals being negotiated, but all the major deals that have been signed in the past, like the ones with Sri Lanka and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)—they led to the dumping of cheap commercial crops like tea, coffee, pepper, and rubber that adversely impacted farmer incomes. The dairy industry’s apprehensions regarding stiff competition in milk and milk products from Australia and New Zealand were responsible for India walking out of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) at the eleventh hour.
For such reasons, India’s trading stance has been defensive, and it has not seized the emerging opportunities. Farmer unions are concerned about the relentless pressure from the US to open up the country’s agricultural sector. It is a very big red line for the government, as it scrambles to ink an interim deal with the US for averting the threat of reciprocal tariffs. The worry is that it may capitulate to American demands. As the ongoing talks enter the final stretch, this is indeed a sensitive issue—especially the US’ demand for lower duties on genetically modified (GM) maize and soybean which are not allowed under Indian regulations. On this, progress has hit a roadblock.
Farmer unions are apprehensive that........
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