3 months ago
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Exporters of cultivation products, fisheries, and seafood were relieved aft the announcement of the trade woody betwixt India and the United States, but farmers expressed interest astir the imaginable import of crops specified arsenic soybean, cotton, maize, and wheat, and commercialized unions warned that the woody would wounded Indian industries and workers.
Exporters, however, sounded relaxed. “We are backmost successful the concern now,” Alex Ninan of the Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI) told The Hindu. From April to November 2025, seafood exports dropped 6.3% successful worth presumption and astir 15% successful quantity presumption successful examination to the aforesaid play of the erstwhile year, owed to the precocious U.S. tariffs of 50% from August 2025 onwards, said SEAI president G. Pawan Kumar. “We are assured that with the decision of the commercialized woody and lowering of tariffs to 18%, quantum of export of seafood from India to USA volition amusement an summation and soon scope backmost to the erstwhile levels,” Mr. Kumar said.
‘Bowing to U.S. dictates’
On the different hand, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella radical of workplace outfits, termed the woody a “betrayal of the people”. The SKM reminded Prime Minister Narendra Modi of his connection connected August 15, 2025, that “he is personally acceptable to wage dense terms to support the interests of the farmers.”
Allowing zero per cent import tariff connected U.S. goods is simply a surrender to the unit of U.S. imperialism, the SKM said, alleging that Mr. Modi is “shamelessly bowing down to the dictates” of U.S. President Donald Trump to let the escaped travel of U.S. cultivation products into the Indian market. “This commercialized woody to let Indian markets to beryllium flooded by highly subsidised U.S. cultivation products volition devastate the full peasantry successful India. The U.S. has lone 18.8 lakh farmers arsenic per the caller survey successful 2024, compared to 14.65 crore operational holdings successful India arsenic per the cultivation census of 2015. 48% of the enactment unit and 65% of the colonisation successful India depends connected agriculture and allied sectors,” the SKM said, urging farmers to articulation the wide onslaught called by the SKM and commercialized unions connected February 12.
The All India Kisan Sabha asked the Union Government to spot the afloat substance of the India-U.S. commercialized deal, arsenic good arsenic the escaped commercialized agreements signed with the United Kingdom and the European Union, earlier Parliament and guarantee a thorough treatment with the States. “All anti-worker, anti-farmer, anti-people FTAs and Trade Deals signed by this authorities indispensable beryllium rescinded,” the AIKS said.
Dairy crisis
Dayabhai Gajera, a dairy husbandman person from Gujarat, said the dairy assemblage is successful situation owed to the summation successful input costs. “Farmers are facing a realisation situation arsenic they bash not person capable wealth for beverage and beverage products. At this time, expanding import of dairy products volition beryllium immense stroke to livestock farmers. Highly subsidised dairy products volition beryllium flooded to Indian markets and our farmers and processors volition beryllium successful trouble. The consumers should enactment farmers and not beforehand imported goods,” Mr. Gajera said.
The Centre of Indian Trade Unions said successful a connection that if the woody comes into effect, it volition beryllium the astir deadly enactment against the interests of crores of Indian workers and peasants, and Indian economical sovereignty astatine large. “This surrender blatantly exposes the anti-National, anti-People quality of the Modi government,” the CITU said.
