New Delhi: Amid opposition allegations over India-US trade deal, Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan It said on Thursday that the agreement fully safeguards the interests of Indian agriculture, especially the agriculture and dairy industries.Chauhan emphasized that India’s staple food, fruits, major crops, millets and dairy products remain completely safe and will not face any threats. The interests of both small and large farmers are fully protected. The agreement will create new opportunities rather than risks for Indian agriculture.Addressing the media on the issue, Chouhan highlighted the export potential unlocked by the agreement and noted that India already exports rice to many countries, including the United States, with recent exports valued at around Rs 63,000 crore.He said that the reduction in tariffs will directly benefit India’s rice, spices and textile exports, and the growth in textile exports will help millions of farmers growing cotton.Regarding certain concerns over the adverse impact of the agreement on small farmers, the minister stressed that there would be no sudden or disruptive entry of foreign products into the Indian market.Reacting to the confusion caused by the US Finance Minister’s recent social media post about increasing access to US agricultural products, Chouhan said Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal had already clarified the facts in Parliament. He reiterated that India was not opening up its markets in any way to put pressure on domestic farmers and that protection of key agricultural products remained intact.“Farmers are our ‘annada’, the providers of life. Their welfare is the welfare of the country and their interests are absolutely guaranteed,” he added.
