Indian farm groups plan to fight India-US trade pact
SKM, a coalition of 100+ farm groups, calls for protests on February 12
10 February 2026
1 minute read
By: Indian farm unions and opposition parties have called for nationwide protests against the new India-US trade framework, saying it risks hurting the farm sector by allowing more US imports, although the government says key staples are protected, according to Reuters.
The agreement has become a political flashpoint, reviving memories of the 2020–21 farm law protests, when the government was forced to repeal three laws aimed at deregulating agricultural markets.
The government has defended the pact, saying farmers' interests are protected by excluding imports of grains such as rice, wheat, corn and dairy products, while growers of basmati rice, fruits, spices, coffee and tea would gain duty-free access to the US market.
Farm groups say the pact puts Indian farmers at a disadvantage.
Indian farmers concerned over lack of detail
"We are worried about the India-US trade deal, as it would hurt Indian farmers, who are far more vulnerable than their American counterparts," said Rakesh Tikait, a farmers' leader.
He said US farmers have larger landholdings and receive higher subsidies, while Indian farmers also face crop losses from weak processing infrastructure and rising cultivation costs.
The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), a coalition of more than 100 farm groups, has called for protests on February 12, saying the deal would allow imports of subsidised US farm products that could depress domestic prices and hurt rural incomes.
The interim India-US trade framework amounts to a complete surrender to US agricultural multinationals, SKM said in a statement, urging the government not to sign the pact.
"We will not allow the government to open up the Indian farm sector for American companies," SKM national secretary Purushottam Sharma said, adding that lower tariffs on crude soyoil, currently taxed at about 16.5%, would hurt domestic oilseed producers.
Farmer leaders have also urged the government to share details of the pact.
"India could be made into a dumping ground by this deal," Congress leader Pawan Khera said, citing US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who said it would boost US farm exports to India, lift prices and pump cash into rural America.
