Nationwide Protests Against Proposed India-US Free Trade Agreement

On July 22, 2026, farmers' organizations across India, spearheaded by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), staged widespread protests to voice their opposition to the proposed India-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The primary contention of the farming community is that such a trade pact could lead to an influx of highly subsidized agricultural products from the United States into the Indian market. Farmers fear that this competition would severely undermine the livelihoods of small and marginal landholders who lack the economies of scale enjoyed by their American counterparts. Central to the protest is the apprehension regarding the Minimum Support Price (MSP) system. Agricultural unions argue that the liberalization of trade in agricultural commodities could force the government to dilute its procurement policies to comply with international trade norms, potentially threatening the food security of the nation and the stability of the Public Distribution System (PDS). Furthermore, there is a broader concern that the FTA might impose stringent intellectual property rights on seeds and agricultural technology, which could increase input costs for Indian farmers and reduce their autonomy.