Chandigarh, February 9: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab has strongly condemned the India-US trade agreement, labeling it as anti-farmer, dangerous, and detrimental to national interests.
The party claims that this agreement will severely harm India’s agricultural system and push millions of farmers into economic despair. It argues that the deal aims to open Indian markets to foreign agricultural products while neglecting the interests of local farmers.
Kuldeep Dhaliwal, spokesperson for the Punjab AAP, directly criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on this issue. He stated that BJP leader Sunil Jakhar is celebrating the agreement, either unaware of its disastrous consequences or deliberately hiding its adverse effects on India’s poor and marginal farmers.
Dhaliwal emphasized that the agreement is against farmers’ interests and will create unequal competition in the agricultural sector. He clarified that AAP is not silent on this matter. Contrary to Jakhar’s claims, Dhaliwal asserted that the party has been protesting the agreement consistently for the past ten days since its announcement. He accused the BJP of keeping the country in the dark, with the Prime Minister avoiding a response on this critical issue in Parliament.
The AAP spokesperson lamented that information about the India-US trade agreement was revealed not by the Prime Minister or the government, but through social media posts by US President Donald Trump. Trump has repeatedly mentioned “agriculture” in his statements, which should raise concerns for every Indian farmer, indicating a direct impact on Indian agriculture.
Dhaliwal made it clear that AAP’s concerns are serious and straightforward. The agreement opens Indian markets to heavily subsidized American agricultural products, which will directly harm Indian farmers who already lack sufficient government support. He described this as an unequal and unjust competition for Indian farmers.
Citing the example of red sorghum, Dhaliwal noted that about 75% of its production occurs in the US, while in India, it is primarily cultivated by poor farmers in drought-prone areas of Maharashtra, where there is no solid guarantee of a minimum support price (MSP). If American red sorghum enters the Indian market, it will become extremely difficult for local farmers to sell their produce.
He warned that if American red sorghum, corn, other grains, and dairy products flood Indian markets, indigenous crops will be completely devastated. This will directly affect farmers in Punjab, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh, who are already facing numerous challenges.
Dhaliwal questioned what would happen to Indian cotton farmers if subsidized American cotton enters the market. Similarly, he raised concerns about how farmers in Jammu and Kashmir would survive if American almonds and walnuts dominate the market. Apple producers in Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir will find it exceedingly difficult to compete with cheap American apples. He also expressed serious worries about the future of dairy products and other agricultural products.