Jai Kisan, Jai Kisan: The agricultural sector holds the key to India–US trade talks

Indian farmers find themselves yet again in the eye of the raging tariff storm, and have the power to make

Piyush Goyal, India’s Commerce Minister, held back-to-back meetings with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick earlier this year in a bid to find a breakthrough in India–US trade talks. | Image Courtesy: @PiyushGoyal on X

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The tariff negotiations between India and the United States have stalled after months of talks, and while India remains hopeful of resuming the conversation, the US has taken on a more aggressive stance. The current impasse has seen India in an “unenviable spot” as it now has a 50 per cent tariff on exports to its largest trading partner, and is witnessing its relationship with the US worsen every day. A key roadblock in the India–US tariff negotiations has been over the US’s demand for greater access to India’s agriculture and dairy sectors and the allowing of genetically modified products into India. In contrast, India has remained unwilling to do so and fervent in protecting the country’s farmers and small producers. Since then, India has sought to engage in free trade agreement negotiations with other countries such as the European Union, New Zealand, Chile, Peru and the Gulf Cooperation Council nations in order to diversify its export markets. The farming sector plays an integral role in these FTA negotiations, and it is imperative for India to understand the farmers’ contentions with the FTA in order to move forward in future negotiations. With the political salience of the agricultural demographic, India will have to find creative ways of addressing their concerns for its unique context, or risk this posing a hindrance in future FTAs with foreign countries.

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