India-US trade deal: Farmer associations see red over potential import of food products

Bengaluru: Farmer associations have raised serious concerns over the joint statement issued on the interim agreement of the US-India trade deal, criticising the government for opening the door for the potential import of genetically modified (GM) food products.

In a statement released to the media, Kirankumar Vissa, Kavitha Kuruganti and others from the Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture (ASHA-Kisan Swaraj) rejected the Centre’s claim that ‘agriculture was protected’ and said the interim agreement amounts to the “first round of opening” of the Indian agriculture sector to be followed by much more. “The elimination of tariffs on imports of ‘a wide range of US food and agricultural products’ will depress domestic prices, undermine Indian farmers, horticulturists, and oilseed growers, distort feed and livestock markets, and increase dependence on imports,” it said.

To hurt farmers

They said import of dried distillers grains (DDGs) and red sorghum will impact millions of farmers growing maize, jowar, soybean and other crops used for fodder and feed for animals and poultry. The import of soybean oil will hurt a similar number of farmers already facing a crisis given that weighted average of market price for soybean in the country was 26% lower than minimum support price of Rs 5,328.

Secondly, ASHA questioned decision to allow import of GM food and feed products, particularly soybean oil. "The joint statement says, 'India also agrees to address long-standing non-tariff barriers to trade in US food and agricultural products'. This is coded language for lifting long-standing restrictions on GM food crops and products that have been in place in India, among other non-tariff barriers," it added.

ASHA dubbed Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal’s assurance that ‘processed items’ would not have ‘GM effects’ unscientific and opportunistic. The statement noted that each product required its own biosafety assessment, while pointing to the statutory regulatory framework.

"The government in effect is saying it will flout domestic laws made by Parliament of India, our elected representatives, to please the Trump administration. This is a blatant bowing down, a throwing away of citizens" interests," it added.