Farmers protest UK trade deal saying it’s a threat to agriculture and MSMEs
The Hindu | 7 May 2025
Farmers protest UK trade deal saying it’s a threat to agriculture and MSMEs
The farmers’ organisations expressed grave concern at the signing of a free trade agreement between India and United Kingdom. The organisations alleged that the treaty was signed despite protests by farmers, fish workers and cattle farmers, is a matter of grave concern.
Samyukt Kisan Morcha core committee member and All India Kisan Sabha president Ashok Dhawale said as per statements from both the governments, products from the U.K. such as lamb, salmon, soft drinks, chocolate, biscuits, medical devices, cosmetics, electrical machinery, and aerospace will be dumped into our markets without any restrictions by slashing Indian tariffs. “This will act against the interest of farmers, fish workers and micro, small and medium enterprises that are engaged in food processing. In the past, all such free trade agreements, both bilateral and multilateral, have failed the Indian farmers and small industries,” Dr. Dhawale said.
“Imperialist grip” on Indian economy
He added that this agreement too is in that direction of past treaties and will deepen the realisation crisis in India’s agricultural and manufacturing sectors and will allow the international finance capital to prey on these sectors. “Such treaties are imposed on the people without any Parliamentary scrutiny. The central government is paving the way for yet another imperialist rule on the country. The Union government should back off from this treaty immediately. It should also withdraw from negotiations with the United States for a similar treaty that would pander to the Trump-led imperialist regime,” Dr. Dhawale said.
Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) coordinator Pavel Kussa said the treaty will firm the “imperialist grip” on Indian economy. “Already, this imperialist grip has created hurdles in our development. Now, more foreign products will be dumped here. This reminds the East India Company’s colonial rule over India. The Union Government wants to hand over the country’s markets to imperialist rulers yet again,” Mr. Kussa said adding that on the one hand, the Centre is promoting ultra nationalism and on the other hand it is betraying the national interest and people’s interests and succumbing to imperialist powers.
