Farmer groups to step up campaign against FTA with U.S.

A general body meeting of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) held in New Delhi on Sunday (July 20, 2025) has warned the Union government against going ahead with the proposed trade agreement with the United States.

The SKM said, in a statement on Monday (July 21, 2025), that the general body has also called for nationwide protests against the deal as it could act against the interests of farmers.

The SKM will observe August 13 as ‘Corporations Quit India Day’ and said it seriously apprehends that the Narendra Modi government is surrendering to the diktats of the ‘U.S. Imperialism’ to sign the free trade agreement (FTA). The SKM said such an agreement could lead to opening up of agriculture, dairy and food markets and that will hurt the interests of the people.

“The FTA is supposed to come into effect by August 1, 2025. August 9 is the 83rd anniversary of the Quit India Day movement against British colonialism. To protest the BJP-led NDA government’s moves to accept USA’s pressures and increase imports of food and dairy items, including Genetically Modified foods and penetration of multinational corporations in food markets, SKM will issue a mass warning through these mass protests,” the statement said.

“Peasants will raise the slogan ‘Corporations Quit India’ on August 13 by organising tractor/ motor vehicle parades and protest demonstrations and burn effigies of the US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” the statement added.

The meeting congratulated the leadership of the united trade union movement for the strike action on July 9. “This was the 22nd general strike since the invention of neo-liberal policies and its success has filled confidence to all the democratic sections in the society that the entire working people are ready to fight back the anti-people policies of the ruling classes,” the statement said.