Farmers’ organisations and political groups have sharply criticised the emerging contours of the US–India trade agreement, warning that it could severely undermine Indian agriculture, depress farm incomes and open the doors to genetically modified (GM) food imports in violation of domestic regulatory safeguards.
In a press release, the Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture (ASHA–Kisan Swaraj) expressed “serious concerns” over the US–India Joint Statement on the Interim Agreement on trade and remarks made by Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal. The alliance rejected the government’s assertion that Indian agriculture has been protected, arguing that the agreement marks “the first round of opening of Indian agriculture, to be followed by much more, even while claiming protection.”
ASHA–Kisan Swaraj warned that the elimination of tariffs on “a wide range of US food and agricultural products” would depress domestic prices and undermine Indian farmers, horticulturists and oilseed growers, while distorting feed and livestock markets and increasing dependence on imports. It said the proposed import of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGs) and red sorghum would hit the incomes of millions of farmers cultivating maize, jowar, soybean and other fodder crops. Similarly, soybean oil imports would further damage soybean farmers already facing a severe crisis in states such as Maharashtra, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Citing official data, the alliance pointed out that the all-India weighted average market price of soybean in October 2025 was Rs 3,942, about 26 per cent below the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 5,328, while maize prices in October and November 2025 averaged Rs 1,821, nearly 24 per cent below the MSP of Rs 2,400. “Despite the Government of India promising procurement of soybean, the extent of procurement was abysmal, pushing soybean farmers into heavy losses,” ASHA–Kisan Swaraj said, adding that the trade deal would worsen the situation and raise serious questions about how the government intends to uphold its MSP commitments.
The alliance also strongly opposed the import of GM food and feed products, particularly soybean oil and DDGs, which it said would largely be derived from GM maize. It flagged language in the Joint Statement on addressing “long-standing non-tariff barriers” as “coded language for lifting long-standing restrictions on GM food crops and products” in India. This, it warned, could open the door to a much wider range of GM imports beyond those currently discussed.
ASHA–Kisan Swaraj took strong exception to Minister Goyal’s statement that GM effects are no longer present in processed imports. “This is completely unscientific,” the group said, noting that studies have shown genetically modified DNA can be detected in oils and other processed products. It also pointed to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s 2020 order requiring non-GM origin and GM-free certification for imports linked to 24 specified crops. “The Minister’s statement is very unscientific and opportunistic. GM effects won’t disappear just because it is processed. Each product needs its own biosafety assessment,” the alliance said, accusing the government of effectively signalling its willingness to flout domestic laws “to please the Trump Administration.”
The farmers’ alliance also recalled that cotton farmers had already suffered due to trade concessions to the US, with the government extending a zero-tariff period on cotton imports from September to December 2025, leading to a sharp fall in cotton prices and widespread distress. It further expressed concern that while certain crops and dairy and animal products were claimed to be excluded, the Joint Statement’s reference to “a wide range of agricultural and food products” and “other products” left the door open for further liberalisation. Statements by US leaders, it said, indicated that Washington was seeking much wider access to the Indian agricultural market.
Highlighting structural inequities, ASHA–Kisan Swaraj cited the OECD’s 2024 report, which showed US farmers receiving a Producer Support Estimate of +7.1 per cent, while Indian farmers faced a negative PSE of –14.5 per cent. It also argued that the Joint Statement contained no binding commitment on zero-tariff access for Indian agricultural exports, contrary to official claims, while India’s concessions to the US were explicit and binding. “The US–India trade agreement represents a big blow to crores of Indian farmers and the danger of being flooded with GM food products flouting the Indian environmental regulatory system,” the statement concluded.
Echoing these concerns, the Socialist Party (India) issued a separate statement strongly condemning the new US tariffs on Indian agricultural products under the trade deal and the consent given by the Government of India. The party described the decision as “a direct attack on India’s agricultural economy” and “a betrayal of crores of farmers,” pushing their livelihoods and self-reliance into crisis.
According to the Socialist Party, the US tariff policy is part of a broader strategy to protect global corporate interests and marginalise farmers in developing countries. It criticised the Indian government for “surrendering before this unjust policy” despite projecting itself as farmer-friendly, and said this exposed the failure of its foreign trade policy and insensitivity towards farmers.
The party noted that Indian farmers are already grappling with rising input costs, uncertainty over MSPs, mounting debt and the impacts of climate change. In this context, it warned that adverse tariffs on agricultural exports would further reduce incomes, destabilise markets and deepen the agrarian crisis. “It is evident that the government’s priority is no longer farmers, but appeasing multinational corporations in the name of international trade agreements,” the statement said.
Describing agriculture as the foundation of food sovereignty, rural employment and social justice, the Socialist Party said accepting international pressure against farmers’ interests amounted to compromising national sovereignty. It demanded that the government reject the US tariff policy, initiate diplomatic efforts in farmers’ interests and raise the issue at international forums such as the World Trade Organization in solidarity with other developing countries.
The party also announced that it would join nationwide protests on February 12, in solidarity with the United Kisan Morcha’s call to burn effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former US President Donald Trump. Along with its farmers’ wing, the Socialist Kisan Sabha, it plans to hold effigy-burning and sit-in protests across the country and has called for a nationwide boycott of US imports, urging farmers, workers and pro-people groups to organise a united resistance to what it termed an “anti-farmer” trade deal.
Comments