Samyukta Kisan Morcha demands scrapping of FTAs signed by India with US, UK, EU

Samyukta Kisan Morcha activists staged a protest in Khammam demanding cancellation of free trade agreements being signed by the Centre with the USA, EU, UK and New Zealand. Farmer leaders said the FTAs would flood Indian markets with subsidised imports, undermine domestic agriculture, and jeopardise food security.

Khammam: Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) activists staged a protest here on Wednesday demanding the cancellation of free trade agreements (FTAs) that the Centre is signing with nations such as the USA, the European Union, the UK and New Zealand.

Speakers argued that these agreements pose a severe threat to Indian agriculture, the rural economy, the dairy industry, small and marginal farmers, agricultural labourers, Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) as well as the nation’s food security.

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Telangana Rythu Sangham president Madineni Ramesh, its district secretary Bonthu Rambabu, State Farmers’ union district president Dondapatti Ramesh and Progressive Agricultural Labourers’ union district secretary Bandela Venkaiah addressed the farmers.

They stated that FTAs would lead to the flooding of the Indian market by heavily subsidised foreign agricultural products, a drop in remunerative prices for domestic crops, the destruction of farmers’ livelihoods, the rise of multinational corporate monopolies over seeds, and increased unemployment.

The FTAs are anti-farmer and against national interests. The struggle against them would continue until the agreements were repealed to protect the interests of India’s farmers, ensure national self-reliance and secure the future of coming generations, the leaders said.