Farmers' body SKM to observe Bharat Bandh on Feb 12 against India-US trade deal

The SKM convenor argued that Indian produce would be unable to compete with a potential influx of US goods.

• SKM calls for Bharat Bandh on Feb 12 against India-US interim trade agreement
• SKM claims deal will harm Indian farmers by allowing cheaper US imports
• Minister Goyal: Farmers' interests protected, no tariff concessions given

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The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has called for a nationwide ‘Bharat Bandh’ on February 12 as part of its campaign against the India-US interim trade agreement, alleging that the deal will harm Indian farmers.

Speaking to ANI, SKM Convenor Hannan Mollah said the farmers’ body strongly opposes the agreement, claiming it would leave Indian agriculture vulnerable to cheaper imports from the United States. "The agreement will be a betrayal of farmers. We are surrendering before the shrewdness of the US. The government has surrendered. Piyush Goyal should resign. He has betrayed Indian farmers," Mollah said.

He said SKM has launched a nationwide outreach programme from February 4 to February 11 to mobilise farmers, culminating in the Bharat Bandh on February 12.

Mollah argued that Indian produce would be unable to compete with a potential influx of US goods. "They will flood our markets with cheaper goods. Our country will not be able to compete and our farmers will be finished," he said.

The SKM leader said the organisation had studied trade agreements pursued by the government with the US, the European Union, and New Zealand, and had opposed them from the outset.

“Such agreements are not beneficial for a weaker country,” he added.

Earlier, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal strongly defended the India-US interim trade framework, asserting that farmers’ interests had been fully protected. Addressing concerns, Goyal said the agreement would be “etched in golden letters” in India’s economic history.

"I can say categorically that the interests of farmers and the dairy sector have been protected," he said, noting that sensitive sectors had been ring-fenced.

The minister said products such as milk, cheese, butter, ghee, yoghurt and whey, along with staples including wheat, rice, maize, millets, barley, oats and sorghum, have been excluded from tariff concessions. A wide range of vegetables, frozen and preserved foods, and spices such as pepper, cumin, turmeric, ginger, coriander and mustard have also been protected. He added that genetically modified food would not be allowed under the agreement.

In a post on X, Goyal said the deal would “safeguard the interests of domestic farmers, strengthen local agriculture through preferential access to a large market, and advance the goal of a self-reliant India.”

At the same time, he said Indian agricultural products would receive zero-duty access to the US market, while no tariff concessions had been granted for US farm products entering India. “This asymmetry will work decisively in India’s favour,” Goyal said.