India will not compromise the interests of its farmers in the trade deal it is negotiating with the US, the federal trade minister has said, amid warnings and protest calls from powerful farm groups against cheaper American agricultural imports.
New Delhi and Washington announced a framework for an interim trade agreement in February, but the pact is yet to be signed. Negotiations have faced repeated delays over market access and tariffs, and unpredictability in US tariff policies.
“Not a single sensitive interest of our farmers or any stakeholder has been compromised,” Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said at an industrial development conference in New Delhi on Thursday. He maintained that India would gain a strong competitive advantage once the agreement’s details are made public.
Sensitive sectors including dairy, meat, poultry, maize, cereals, and genetically modified foods would remain protected, a February background paper published by India’s Commerce Ministry said. The concessions include limited, reduced-duty import quotas for almonds, walnuts, and pistachios, while tariff reductions on certain other products would be phased in over up to ten years.
There would be zero additional US duties on selected Indian agricultural exports worth $1.36 billion, including tea, coffee, spices, and processed foods, according to the government.
The Samyukt Kisan Morcha, a coalition of more than 100 farmer organizations, has called for protests on November 26 and warned that subsidized American imports could depress domestic prices and hurt rural incomes. It has also demanded disclosure of the agreement’s terms.
The All-India Kisan Sabha, another farmer organization, separately warned against opening up India’s dairy market, arguing that cheaper US products could put pressure on milk procurement prices and rural households dependent on dairy farming.
Both Goyal and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio have said recently that the deal is near the finish line. However, some media reports have said talks have stalled as New Delhi refuses to accept a proposed 18% tariff rate along with concessions on farm products, and the final deal could come only after the November 3 US midterm elections.