Farmers, experts urge PM Modi to reject GM crops, US dairy in trade deal with America

By A Representative

Expressing serious concern over the impending India-US trade agreement, the Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture (ASHA-Kisan Swaraj), representing farmers, scientists, consumer rights advocates and health experts, has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him not to permit genetically modified (GM) crop imports or U.S. dairy products as part of the deal.

In a detailed letter addressed to the PM and marked to Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, ASHA warned that yielding to U.S. pressure to allow GM corn, soy or dairy products would severely undermine India’s food sovereignty, environmental safety, rural economy, and legal safeguards.

The letter states that allowing GM food imports would violate Indian laws, including the Environment Protection Act (1986) and the Food Safety and Standards Act (2006), and contradict multiple Supreme Court rulings requiring strict biosafety regulations.

“This is not just an economic matter; it’s about sovereignty, safety, and survival,” said ASHA convenor Kavitha Kuruganti. “India must never compromise on seed freedom or allow multinational corporations to dictate our food policies.”

On U.S. dairy imports, the letter highlights serious public health risks, pointing to the use of recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH), which is banned in India and several countries. It warns that India’s decentralized dairy economy—sustaining over 10 crore rural households—could be devastated by subsidised, industrial-scale U.S. dairy flooding Indian markets.

The alliance also raised concern over reduced tariffs on U.S. apples, citing distress among apple farmers in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Jammu & Kashmir.

The letter asserts that decisions with such far-reaching impact must not be made under foreign policy or corporate pressure, and demands full transparency, parliamentary oversight, and state government involvement in all trade negotiations involving agriculture and biodiversity.

Among its key demands, ASHA urged the government to:

1. Categorically reject GM crop and dairy imports in any trade deal.

2. Strengthen India’s existing biosafety, health, and food regulation frameworks.

3. Ensure democratic consultation and scientific scrutiny in all trade-related decisions.

“India must not barter away its food security and ecological sustainability for short-term trade concessions,” the letter concludes.

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