Farmer and civil society groups in India have expressed concern over "pressure" being exerted by the Trump administration to open up the Indian market to United States agricultural exports, warning that such a decision would spell a "death knell" for Indian farmers.
The statement opposed any "unequal agreements in agriculture, dairy, fisheries in the name of
free trade".
"Similarly, there is pressure to lift India’s import ban on genetically modified maize as well as ethanol, from which the US is expected to reap windfall gains. We are angry that such deals would throw the already vulnerable Indian cotton farmers in a worse condition," it said.
The statement noted that successive US governments have been pressuring India to reduce "tariff and non-tariff barriers" on American agricultural products.
The statement, signed by the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Samiti (MKSS), Right to Food campaigners, civil society groups, and various organisations including the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), was released during US Vice-President JD Vance's official visit to India.
Vance and his family arrived in Jaipur on Tuesday after engagements in New Delhi, where he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday. He will visit Agra before concluding his three-city tour on April 24, according to an Indian advisory.
"The United States welcomed the tariff reductions India implemented during the Prime Minister’s meeting with President Trump in February and its willingness to further reduce tariffs on US products as part of the BTA," the US statement said, though India is
yet to officially confirm this claim.
The USTR statement noted that Indian tariffs on US agricultural products stood at 39%, as compared to 5% imposed by the US on Indian farm imports.
The statement by Indian groups also raised concerns over the fate of Indian students in the US, who constitute the largest international cohort of all nationalities (Open Doors data) on American university campuses. According to the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), nearly 50% of the 327 international students whose visas have been revoked by the Trump administration hail from India. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told a briefing last week that the Indian Embassy and Consulates are in touch with these students.
Further, the Indian groups have accused Vance of supporting an online campaign targeting Indian immigrants in the US and allegedly backing an X account which called for "normalising Indian hate".
The US ranks as India's largest trading partner, with bilateral trade accounting for around $129.2 billion in 2024, according to official estimates. The US ran a trade deficit of $45.1 billion with India in 2024, which has provoked the ire of US President Donald Trump. As part of his Liberation Day tariffs announced on 2 April, Trump imposed 26% tariffs on Indian imports (excluding pharmaceuticals). The reciprocal tariffs were later paused by 90 days till 9 July.