Bathinda: In a strong response to reports about the inclusion of agriculture and allied sectors in the proposed Indo-US trade deal, the farmer organization BKU (Ekta Sidhupur) on Thursday termed the alleged move a complete surrender by the central government. To register their protest, members burned effigies of US President Donald Trump across Punjab.
Farmers Call Deal a Death Warrant
Members of the farmer body stated that the deal acts as a death warrant for small farmers who lack the capacity to compete with heavily subsidized farmers from the United States. They submitted memorandums to district officials, addressed to the President of India, demanding that the deal remain unsigned.
Warnings of Economic Devastation
BKU (Ekta Sidhupur) warned that allowing Indian markets to be flooded with highly subsidized US agricultural products would devastate crores of small and middle farmer households across India. The farmers highlighted a stark contrast: the US has only 18.8 lakh farmers according to a 2024 survey, while India has 14.65 crore operational holdings as per the agricultural census of 2015.
The protest underscores growing concerns among Indian farmers about the potential impact of the trade deal on their livelihoods and the broader agricultural economy.
