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Termed the India-European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA) a blueprint for economical colonisation, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella assemblage of respective farmers’ organisations, announced campaigns against it by farmers. The FTA would pb to systematic seizure of the immense Indian marketplace by corporates, decimate home agriculture and industry, and ruin employment opportunities successful India, the SKM said present successful a connection connected Friday (January 30, 2026).
“The Government of India has agreed to wholly destruct import work connected olive oil, margarine and different rootlike oils, effect juices and non-alcoholic beer, processed nutrient (breads, pastries, biscuits, pasta, chocolate, favored food), and sheep meat, and reduced import work connected vino from 150% to 20% & 30%, spirits from 150% to 40%, brew from 110% to 50%, kiwis and pears from 33% to 10%, and sausages and different nutrient preparations from 110% to 50%. Though the agriculture assemblage is not arsenic unfastened arsenic claimed by the GOI, the opening of the processed nutrient marketplace volition person a larger and disastrous interaction connected home agriculture accumulation and tiny farmers,” the SKM said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal succumbed to the unit of the EU to support its complex, costly sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) barriers to artifact cultivation exports from India, including grapes and mangoes, portion utilizing the FTA to dilute India’s ain standards to easiness the introduction of their produce, the SKM said.
“This treble modular protects EU farmers portion exposing our fields and consumers to unfair and unsafe competition. The stringent rejection of grape, apple, mango and different producers volition beryllium repeatedly continued adjacent aft this deal. Admission to specified a strategy is betrayal of farmers’ interests,” the connection added.
The FTA’s “high level” Intellectual Property extortion is simply a Trojan equine for European effect and agro-chemical monopolies, the SKM said. “Through this woody the BJP authorities has pushed firm profits supra people’s lives and farmers’ rights. This docket has besides been reflected successful the NDA’s (National Democratic Alliance) projected Seed Bill 2025,” the SKM said, adding that it would proceed to mobilise farmers, and articulation hands with workers to reason the government’s surrender to European firm interests. “SKM volition intensify its run to marque the General onslaught astir palmy connected February 12 against the firm legislations, policies, and the India-EU FTA,” the connection said.
