India’s Trade Minister Piyush Goyal said on October 29 that India will not compromise the interests of its farmers or any stakeholder in its trade agreement with the United States, and that the country will have a strong advantage once the deal is sealed, according to Reuters. New Delhi is close to finalizing the first phase of the agreement. Goyal said both sides had concluded most of the discussions and were now fine-tuning the text.
The deal has drawn criticism from some Indian farm groups. Earlier in October, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, a coalition of more than 100 farm organizations, criticized the deal, saying it would put “farmers for sale” by eliminating India’s high tariffs on agricultural products including almonds, walnuts, apples, maize and soybean oil. The coalition plans further protests in November and is calling for the deal to be withdrawn. The two countries unveiled the framework of the agreement in February, but have not yet signed it.
