New Delhi:- The recently announced India-US interim trade agreement has raised concerns among Indian farmers, which was further heightened by a tweet by US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on February 2. He had said that the agreement would export more American agricultural products to India's vast market, increase prices and pump cash into the US. Farmer organizations such as the United Kisan Morcha and opposition parties immediately warned that subsidized American agricultural products could create a ruckus in the Indian market and threaten the livelihood of domestic farmers and dairy producers.
These concerns are understandable. Agriculture and dairy have long been irrevocable red lines in India's trade talks, but Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal completely dismissed these fears and gave a direct answer in his statement in the Lok Sabha on February 4, 2026.
In a statement to the House, Minister Goyal gave a clear assurance that India's sensitive agriculture and dairy sectors are fully protected. He said, "India has achieved success in protecting sensitive sectors like agriculture and dairy." He stressed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has never compromised with the interests of farmers and sufficient safeguards have been put in place to protect these sectors from undue competition. He further confirmed that India's sensitivity in the fertilizer and agriculture sector has been fully taken into account.