Farmers’ outfits urge MPs, MLAs to speak out against trade deals; seek scrapping of all FTAs

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), a coalition of roughly 500 farming organizations, recently penned a letter to all Members of Parliament and Members of the Legislative Assembly, drawing attention to the "severe agrarian, economic, and social hardships" faced by farmers and laborers. The group has called upon these elected officials to oppose the proposed India-United States Free Trade Agreement (FTA), urging the repeal of all existing FTAs.

Another crucial demand from the SKM is the enactment of a law that guarantees a minimum support price for all crops, as suggested by the National Farmers Commission, led by M. S. Swaminathan, along with assured procurement. They also advocate for a comprehensive loan waiver to alleviate rural debt, farmer and daily laborer suicides, and a compensation package of ₹25 lakh for each suicide victim's family.

Other requests include scrapping the four Labour Codes, setting a minimum wage of ₹31,000 for all workers, restoring the MGNREGA scheme that mandates 200 days of work and a wage of ₹700, and withdrawing several draft bills, including the Electricity Bill, Seeds Bill 2025, and the National Food Security Act (NFSA). The SKM argues that FTAs represent an economic colonization of India, allowing the import of agricultural products, threatening food processing markets, and altering cropping patterns, thus weakening food self-reliance.

The organization alleges that the two companies, Adani and Leap India, have gained dominance over the Food Corporation of India, controlling 77.5% of the grains. The SKM pledges to resist this corporate takeover of agriculture and to fight for India's self-reliance and sovereignty.