{"id":50895,"date":"2025-08-08T18:54:40","date_gmt":"2025-08-08T13:24:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=50895"},"modified":"2025-08-09T12:19:34","modified_gmt":"2025-08-09T06:49:34","slug":"pm-modi-farmers-livestock-fisherfolk-interests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/08-08-2025\/pm-modi-farmers-livestock-fisherfolk-interests","title":{"rendered":"PM Modi Emphasised on the Interests of Farmers, Livestock Rearers &amp; Fisherfolk"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/IR\/GS3\/Economy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Amid US Tariffs, Prime Minister Modi said that the <strong>government would never compromise the interests of India\u2019s farmers, livestock rearers and fisherfolk<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Background<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Trade negotiations between India and the US have stalled,<\/strong> with the US (under Donald Trump administration) pressuring India to:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Open its domestic market to American farm produce.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Relax restrictions on certain imports.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India\u2019s hesitation stems from <strong>domestic livelihood concerns.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Major Concerns<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Agricultural Sector: US is pushing India for importing <\/strong>genetically modified (GM) soyabean and maize imports.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Both crops are widely grown in India \u2013 on some 13 million and 12 million hectares respectively.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India fears that it may cause <strong>domestic price crash and unfair competition<\/strong> since GM food crop cultivation is banned in India.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This may also<strong> undermine India\u2019s seed sovereignty and biosafety norms<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ethanol Imports: <\/strong>The US also wants India to allow imports of ethanol for use as bio-fuel.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Currently, <strong>only ethanol produced from domestically<\/strong> grown sugarcane, maize, and rice is used for blending up to 20% with petrol.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The import from the US<strong> may reduce demand for domestically produced ethanol <\/strong>and will ultimately hurt India\u2019s sugarcane farmers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Dairy Sector:<\/strong> There is an opposition from the Indian dairy industry to the imports of milk powder, butter oil, and cheese<strong> <\/strong>under <strong>any free trade agreement<\/strong>, whether with the <strong>US, the European Union, New Zealand, or Australia.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India levies 30% import duty on cheese, 40% on butter, and 60% on milk powder.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>There is also the requirement that all imported dairy products should be derived from animals <strong>not fed on any formulation produced from the internal organs, bone meal or tissues of animals.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The US claims that this is <strong>premised purely on religious and cultural grounds.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fisheries Sector: <\/strong>India\u2019s seafood exports to the US were valued at <strong>$2.48 billion in 2024<\/strong>, US is a major market, the latest tariff of 50% can hugely impact aqua farmers in states such as <strong>Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This is more so when much lower tariffs of <strong>10-20% have been put on competing countries <\/strong>such as Chile, Ecuador, Indonesia, and Vietnam.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>India\u2019s Stand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Protection of Livelihoods:<\/strong> Safeguard interests of farmers, fisherfolk, and dairy producers from cheaper imports and price volatility.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Food &amp; Biosafety Norms:<\/strong> Maintain ban on GM food crop cultivation and imports in line with domestic regulations and consumer safety concerns.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cultural &amp; Religious Considerations: <\/strong>Uphold restrictions on dairy imports from animals fed with animal-derived products.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Self-Reliance in Key Commodities: <\/strong>Promote domestic ethanol production to support rural economy and avoid dependence on imports.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Trade Balance Concerns:<\/strong> Resist tariff concessions in sensitive sectors where India is vulnerable to import surges.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Balanced Trade Negotiations: <\/strong>Engage in calibrated opening of markets, ensuring sensitive sectors like agriculture and dairy are protected while exploring concessions in less-sensitive areas.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Diversification of Export Markets: <\/strong>India can try to reduce over-dependence on the US for seafood and other exports by tapping new markets in East Asia, Middle East, and Africa.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Safeguard Livelihoods: <\/strong>Continue high import duties and non-tariff barriers for dairy and other vulnerable sectors until domestic producers are competitive.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India\u2013US trade negotiations remain stalled due to deep differences in sensitive sectors such as agriculture, dairy, ethanol, and fisheries.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>While India seeks to safeguard livelihoods, cultural norms, and food safety, the US pushes for greater market access.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A balanced approach that protects domestic interests while expanding mutually beneficial trade avenues is essential for breaking the deadlock.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/why-pm-spoke-of-farmers-livestock-rearers-fisherfolk-10176602\/lite\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>IE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Amid US Tariffs, Prime Minister Modi said that the government would never compromise the interests of India\u2019s farmers, livestock rearers and fisherfolk.\n<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Background<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Trade negotiations between India and the US have stalled, with the US (under Donald Trump administration) pressuring India to:\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Open its domestic market to American farm produce.\n<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/08-08-2025\/pm-modi-farmers-livestock-fisherfolk-interests\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":50939,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/08\/pm-modi-farmers-livestock-fisherfolk-interests.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50895","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50895"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50895\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50899,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50895\/revisions\/50899"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50939"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50895"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50895"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50895"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}