Samyukt Kisan Morcha demands resignation of Piyush Goyal,says US Trade Pact devastating for Agriculture and Dairy
Raw cotton import and wheat export are part of economic colonization strategy
Opening with cotton, soya bean, maize and apple eventually cover all crops devastating Agriculture and Dairy
SKM calls for intensifying campaigns and struggles for the resignation of the Minister Goyal in villages
Babushahi Bureau
New Delhi, February 14, 2026: Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) had demanded resignation of Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and asserted that US Trade Pact will be devastating for Agriculture and Dairy.
In a statement it has strongly protested the declaration of the Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal to “purchase raw materials from America, then India also will get zero tariff export facility when the interim agreement is finalised” as the naked truth of the Modi Government surrendering the self-reliance and sovereignty of India to the USA. The declaration proves that the claim of ‘agriculture is out of the US Trade deal’ is false and to misguide the people and substantiate the fact that FTAs signed by the Modi Government are the blueprint of economic colonization of India. BJP plans to make India a dumping yard of US products and a loot market of MNCs.
In a statement SKM said that importing raw cotton at zero tariffs will devastate the cotton farmers of India by depleting the domestic prices. As per the C2+50% calculation for the Kharif crops in the year 2025, the cotton MSP must be Rs.10075/ quintal. The Commission for Agriculture Cost and Prices (CACP) had announced Rs.7710/ quintal - (as per A2+FL) which is less by Rs.2365/ quintal comparing to C2 formulae. The Modi Government did not ensure even the A2+FL price to farmers with effective arrangement of procurement thus forcing the farmers to sell at distress price in the range of Rs.5500 to Rs.6500/quintal. On 19th August 2025, the Union Government permitted lifting the 11% import duty on cotton thus further eliminating the livelihood security of lakhs of cotton farmer households. The cotton import from the USA surged 95.5% from 199.30 Million Dollar in Jan-Nov 2024 to 377.90 Million Dollar in Jan-Nov 2025.
Now the Union Government has ordered export of 25 Lakh Metric Tonnes of wheat claiming “farmer-centric step to stabilize domestic markets”. The import and export of raw agricultural products without any strategy for domestic industrialization, endangering food security and allowing American farmers to obtain a larger market in India will result in Indian farmers squeezed out of the market making the farmers and agricultural workers the worst victims of neo-colonial encroachment into the Indian economy. As per the interim agreement of India-US trade deal apple, cotton, tree nuts, soybean oil, wine and spirits, animal feeds including DDGs based on maize and red sorghum have been opened up which would place American companies in a virtual monopoly position in the Indian market. The dairy products have been covered in the Free Trade Agreements signed with the European Union, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Thus the Modi Government has made total surrender of the farmers, laborers and the natural resources to the Multinational Companies betraying the independence of the country.
All these serious policy changes of dropping the import tariffs ranging from 30% - 150% to 0% and allowing to enhance the export tariffs from 0% - 3% to 18% have been agreed by keeping the Parliament in the dark. The Modi Government that betrayed farmers by not enacting law for MSP@C2+50% for all crops with guaranteed procurement is now eliminating the entire tariff system that protected the agriculture and dairy sector thus, throwing farmers into troubled waters of uncertainty and insecurity of the world market is not acceptable to the prople of the country. The Prime Minister is not ready to open eyes and realize and rectify even in the wake of the massive protest expressed by the working people on 12 February 2026 making the All India General Strike a resounding success.
SKM reiterated the demand of resignation of the Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and appeals to the farmers to prepare for a long haul of struggles, take up campaign such as village demonstrations, public meetings and house to house campaigns to expose the capitulation of the Modi Government to the USA and rallying all the patriotic forces to protect agriculture, diary and the entire economy.
The National Council Meeting of SKM scheduled on 24th February at Kurukshetra, Haryana will resolve concrete actions to intensify the struggle.