The Samyukt Kisan Morcha said the commerce minister’s conduct strips him of any moral authority to continue in a constitutional position
NEW DELHI – Amid growing political storm over the India–US trade deal, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Wednesday sharply rejected Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal’s assertion that “sensitive sectors of agriculture and dairy have been excluded” from the agreement. The farmers’ joint platform issued a stern warning to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the country would witness a repeat of the historic 2020–21 farmers’ agitation if any agricultural or dairy products were included in the deal.
In a statement, the pan-India farmers’ body criticised the prime minister for maintaining studied silence even after US President Donald Trump and he himself publicly referred to the trade deal on social media on February 2. SKM termed the issue “most serious and sensitive,” directly impacting the livelihood of crores of working people across the country.
Calling Goyal’s statement misleading, SKM said it directly contradicts claims made by US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, who publicly stated that the deal would enable the US to “export more American farm products to India’s massive market,” boost prices, pump cash into rural America, and help reduce the US’s $1.3 billion agricultural trade deficit with India.
SKM noted that the commerce minister neither objected to nor denied Rollins’ claim, accusing him of deliberately attempting to mislead farmers and the public. The farmers’ body said such conduct strips Goyal of any moral authority to continue in a constitutional position.
SKM also rejected Goyal’s claim that Prime Minister Modi has “always protected agriculture and dairy and never compromised farmers’ interests,” calling it factually incorrect and dishonest. It pointed out that despite Modi’s declaration from the Red Fort on August 15, 2025, that he would protect farmers’ interests “even by paying a heavy personal price,” the government lifted the 11% import duty on cotton just three days later, on August 19, 2025.
The decision, SKM said, hit the country’s most suicide-prone cotton-growing regions. Following the removal of import duty, cotton imports from the US surged by 95.5%, rising from $199.30 million during January–November 2024 to $377.90 million in the same period of 2025. Wheat and soybean oil imports also saw a sharp increase.
According to the Minimum Support Price announced by the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) for Kharif 2025, cotton MSP under the A2+FL formula was fixed at Rs 7,710 per quintal—Rs 2,365 less than the Rs 10,075 required under the C2+50% formula demanded by farmers. SKM said the government even failed to ensure the A2+FL price, forcing farmers into distress sales between Rs 5,500 and Rs 6,500 per quintal.
The farmers’ platform further accused the Modi government of reneging on its written assurance dated December 9, 2021, to SKM, which promised MSP at C2+50% with guaranteed procurement, a comprehensive loan waiver, and no privatisation of the electricity sector. This, SKM said, exposes the government’s lack of commitment to farmers and other working people.
SKM warned that the proposed US trade deal targets government procurement, MSP, and subsidies by branding them as “trade-distorting.” It alleged that the agreement was aimed at reducing the US’s $40 billion trade deficit and clearing the glut in American crop markets—at the cost of Indian farmers.
Taking aim at Goyal’s claim that the deal is “the best among India’s neighbours and competitors,” SKM questioned how such assertions could be made when the agreement is still in the “final stages of detailing.” The farmers’ body asked why the prime minister announced the deal under apparent pressure from the US president without finalising or disclosing its details.
“This exposes the sad state of governance under the Modi government,” SKM said, alleging a compromise on India’s sovereignty and an “abject surrender to US imperialism.
