‘We don’t have concrete information’: Rakesh Tikait on why farmer unions oppose India-US trade deal

Farmer leader and Bharatiya Kisan Union (Tikait) spokesperson Rakesh Tikait has said that the recently announced India–US tariff framework would severely harm Indian farmers. Announcing plans for a massive nationwide protest, he also emphasised that the government has failed to provide clarity on the agreement.

In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, he described the framework as “mere orders” rather than a mutually negotiated deal.

‘These are mere orders’

While speaking on the US–India trade framework, Tikait said, “This is not a deal, these are mere orders. A real deal is mutually agreed upon by two parties. Here, our government is simply obeying instructions.”

Emphasising that his organisation, Bharatiya Kisan Union (Tikait), is planning massive protests against it, he told Firstpost, “This so-called deal is far from being in the farmers’ favour. It will cause severe harm to them. We are planning a massive nationwide protest. Today, a meeting in Mathura laid the groundwork, and we will take this fight across the country on an unprecedented scale.”

He further said, “This is the same deal which was there months ago and now is implemented.”

‘Farmers across sectors will suffer’

Describing how the framework would hurt Indian farmers, Tikait said, “Maize will flood the Indian market, along with dairy and other agricultural products.”

“Dairy farmers will suffer, maize farmers will suffer, fruit farmers — apples and others — will suffer, nut farmers will suffer, and poultry farmers will also face losses,” he said.

When confronted with the argument that dairy is excluded from the framework, he replied, “Even though dairy products are excluded, fodder will still come — maize, vegetarian and non-vegetarian fodder, and animal feed from America will be here, and it will cause harm. This goes against our values by forcing animals to consume non-vegetarian feed.”

He further claimed, “Tariffs on India may be reduced, but American agricultural imports face zero tariffs into our country, putting our farmers at a disadvantage.”

When asked whether refusing such terms could risk fresh US tariffs and hurt exporters, he said, “This trade deal is already causing a lot of damage to us, to our farmers.”

He also alleged, “The Indian government is neither explaining nor clarifying anything on this trade deal. We do not have any concrete information.”

Commenting on Russian oil, Tikait said, “The government bowed to pressure on Russian oil, forcing us to stop buying it and source it from them, even though it goes against India’s long-standing ally who has always stood by our side.”

US deal will protect the ‘interests’ of farmers: Piyush Goyal

The Indian government has long maintained that the trade deal will protect the “interests” and “sensitivities” of farmers.

The US had earlier imposed a 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods, citing concerns about Russian oil purchases. Later, an additional 25 per cent brought the total to 50 per cent tariffs on most Indian exports to the US. A long engagement was underway between the two sides on this matter.

According to reports, the deal was stalled for months as India remained reluctant to open up the agriculture, dairy and MSME sectors, while staying firm on protecting their stakes.

Defending the trade deal between India and the United States, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said that New Delhi “aggressively” pushed to safeguard the farm sector’s interests, while protecting sensitivities around dairy and agriculture.

Addressing the press after the announcement of the trade deal, Goyal said India had successfully defended its key trade “red lines” in the landmark agreement and reiterated that the deal does not compromise the interests of the country’s farmers.

Trump’s tariff rollback

Later, in the first week of February, India and the US announced a trade deal framework under which the previously high tariffs on Indian exports were reduced to an effective 18 percent from February 7 and punitive tariffs were rescinded.

PM Modi’s firm stand

Earlier, when the talks were stalled and India was reeling under high tariffs, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had strongly stated that India would “never compromise” on the interests of its farmers, livestock rearers and fisherfolk.

PM had said he was prepared to “pay a heavy price” to protect their welfare rather than agree to terms that could hurt India’s agricultural sector.