Photo Source: Babushahi Bureau
Samyukt Kisan Morcha calls India-US trade deal anti-farmer, warns of Pan-India protests
Babushahi Bureau
New Delhi, February 7, 2026: The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Friday strongly condemned the proposed Framework for an Interim India–US Trade Agreement, terming it a “total surrender” of Indian agriculture to US multinational corporations by the RSS-BJP-led Narendra Modi government. The farmers’ body demanded the immediate resignation of Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and warned of massive, pan-India united protests if the agreement is signed.
In a press release issued here, SKM said the framework, already welcomed by the Union government, exposes the false claims that agriculture and dairy sectors were kept outside Free Trade Agreements. Quoting the Press Information Bureau note, SKM pointed out that India has agreed to eliminate or sharply reduce tariffs on a wide range of US agricultural and food products, including soybean oil, animal feed crops, fruits, nuts, wine and spirits.
SKM alleged that this directly contradicts repeated assurances by Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal that farmers’ interests would not be compromised. “The inclusion of dairy and agriculture once again proves that the minister has consciously misled farmers and the country,” the statement said, calling his role “a betrayal” and demanding his resignation.
The farmers’ front also criticised the sharp imbalance in tariffs, stating that while the US has imposed tariffs of up to 18 per cent on Indian goods, India is being pushed to bring down tariffs on US agricultural products from 30–150 per cent to zero. “This is not free trade. This will place Indian agriculture at the mercy of US agribusiness giants,” SKM warned.
Raising serious concerns, SKM said the proposed reduction of non-tariff barriers would open the doors to import of milk, genetically modified (GM) foods and seeds, threatening soil fertility, crop diversity and food security. It further alleged that cheap imports of US wheat, maize, soybean, cotton and dairy products would devastate Indian farmers, especially small and marginal cultivators who form nearly 86 per cent of the farming community.
The organisation also linked the trade framework with the Union Budget 2026–27, alleging that declining agricultural growth, rising input costs, mounting farm debt and cuts in social expenditure have already pushed rural livelihoods into crisis. SKM said removal of customs duties in several sectors would also severely impact MSMEs and domestic industry.
Strongly opposing what it termed an “anti-national trade deal”, SKM appealed to all political parties, farmers’ organisations, trade unions and mass movements to unite against the agreement. It announced nationwide protest demonstrations on February 12, 2026, calling upon farmers across India to join a general strike as a collective response to what it described as the government’s “sell-out of Indian agriculture to multinational corporations.”