Farmer unions across the country have stepped up opposition to the newly announced interim trade agreement framework between India and the United States, warning that the deal threatens livelihoods in agriculture and dairy and announcing plans for nationwide protests.

Organisations including the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), its non-political faction, the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) and several other farmers’ groups said the agreement would expose Indian agriculture to unfair competition from heavily subsidised US agribusinesses.

The trade framework, unveiled jointly by New Delhi and Washington on Saturday, seeks to expand bilateral trade by cutting tariffs on a range of goods. Under the proposed arrangement, US duties on Indian exports will be reduced from 50 per cent to 18 per cent, while India will remove or sharply reduce tariffs on American industrial products and several agricultural and food items.

Farmer leaders expressed particular concern over the inclusion of agricultural products such as dried distillers’ grains, red sorghum for animal feed, tree nuts, soybean oil, wine and spirits, along with fresh and processed fruits. They warned that increased imports of these items could hurt domestic producers and undermine food security.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the SKM accused the Centre of sacrificing farmers’ interests and opening Indian agriculture to multinational corporations. It demanded the immediate resignation of Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal.

“The framework is an abject rejection of the claim of the Commerce Minister that the agriculture and dairy sectors are out of the Free Trade Agreements (FTA) and the Government of India will not make any compromise on the interests of agriculture. The commerce minister is consciously propagating falsehood…SKM considers the role of the commerce minister as a traitor and demands his immediate resignation. The SKM also demands that the prime minister desist from signing the India-US FTA or face massive pan-India united mass struggles,” the statement said.

The SKM (Non-Political) echoed these concerns, saying it would soon convene a meeting to chart out large-scale protests against the agreement.

Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal said that while Goyal has been asserting that agriculture and dairy would be protected, the India-US joint statement indicates that India has agreed to discuss and resolve non-tariff barriers affecting US agricultural and food products. Dallewal said the two positions were contradictory and argued that the joint statement showed the government had agreed, under US pressure, to open Indian markets to American farm products, which would cause heavy losses to farmers.

AIKS leader Krishna Prasad said the deal would have a far-reaching impact on agriculture by opening markets to items such as dried distillers’ grains, red sorghum for animal feed and soybean oil, and claimed it would also affect the dairy sector, The Indian Express reported.

He added that trade agreements with the US and the European Union were aimed at reviving their “stagnant” economies and did not serve India’s interests.

Bhartiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait said villagers were questioning how such trade deals would affect their lives and livelihoods, and urged farmers to join the protests. Krantikari Kisan Union (Punjab) leader Darshan Pal said members of his organisation would burn effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump, arguing that the agreement would further burden farmers already struggling with low incomes and mounting debt.

The SKM also alleged that dairy imports—already part of FTAs with the UK, New Zealand and the EU—would be facilitated further through the reduction of non-tariff barriers, allowing US milk and dairy products to enter the Indian market.

It flagged what it described as an “unequal trade structure,” noting that while US tariffs on Indian goods stand at 18 per cent, India’s duties on US agricultural products, earlier ranging from 30 to 150 per cent, are proposed to be reduced to zero. Such changes, the group warned, would expose Indian farmers to cheap imports of maize, wheat, soybean oil, ethanol, genetically modified foods and seeds, severely impacting domestic markets and farm incomes.

Farmer unions also voiced concern about fruit growers in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and the northeastern states, citing possible imports of apples, pineapples, coconut and dry fruits.

They cautioned that subsidised US farm products could flood Indian markets at a time when domestic agriculture is already under pressure from rising input costs, falling prices, slowing growth and increasing debt.

Addressing an online press conference, SKM leaders said protests would be organised in villages and rural areas nationwide, including plans to burn effigies of US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Farmer organisations also announced support for the general strike scheduled for February 12, calling on workers, farmers and rural communities to unite against policies they say favour global corporations over local producers.

The Union government has yet to issue a detailed response to the criticism. While officials have argued that trade liberalisation can expand export opportunities and strengthen India’s global position, farmer groups remain unconvinced, insisting that any agreement involving agricultural imports must include strong safeguards for small and marginal farmers. With nationwide protests being planned, the interim trade deal is expected to face increasing political and social scrutiny in the days ahead.