Farming associations in India have been organizing various protests against an international trade agreement although no such deal has been signed yet. The protests are driven by fears that should the international trade agreement be signed in its present form, the agreement might have major consequences for India’s farming industry and livelihoods of thousands of farmers in the country.
Specifically, farmer unions are worried about the possibility that the increased availability of imported agricultural products will cause increased competition for Indian farmers from farmers of other countries. Farmers claim that developed nations offer considerable amount of support to their agricultural sectors which helps to keep the prices for their products relatively low. This may pose a threat to Indian farmers, especially small-scale ones.
One more concern relates to the issue of tariffs on imported agricultural commodities. According to the protesters, any lowering of import duties will cause the increase in the number of imports and hence lower prices of domestic crops and consequently decrease farmers’ incomes.
There is also a call from the farmers to make the process more transparent. The farmers have requested the government to engage in consultation with the representatives of the farmers prior to signing any agreement that may impact the agricultural sector. In the words of the protest leaders, it will help to sort out the problems and boost the confidence level in the farming community.
On the other hand, the government claims that trade negotiations are made considering the national interest and no agreement has yet been made. It is further claimed that the position of India in the negotiations is designed in such a way so that it protects the sensitive sectors like agriculture while creating export opportunities at the same time.
Experts believe that issues raised during the course of trade negotiations are pretty common, especially for those countries where the agricultural sector plays a major role in their economy.
As the talks progress further, farmers’ organizations have stated that they will keep themselves updated regarding the talks and conduct peaceful protests until they get assurance about their rights being protected. The results of these talks are likely to impact India’s agricultural trade policies in the coming future.
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