India-EU FTA is a blueprint for economic colonisation, say farmers’ outfits

Termed the India-European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA) a blueprint for economic colonisation, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of several farmers’ organisations, announced campaigns against it by farmers. The FTA would lead to systematic capture of the vast Indian market by corporates, decimate domestic agriculture and industry, and ruin employment opportunities in India, the SKM said here in a statement on Friday (January 30, 2026).

“The Government of India has agreed to completely eliminate import duty on olive oil, margarine and other vegetable oils, fruit juices and non-alcoholic beer, processed food (breads, pastries, biscuits, pasta, chocolate, pet food), and sheep meat, and reduced import duty on wine from 150% to 20% & 30%, spirits from 150% to 40%, beer from 110% to 50%, kiwis and pears from 33% to 10%, and sausages and other meat preparations from 110% to 50%. Though the agriculture sector is not as open as claimed by the GOI, the opening of the processed food market will have a larger and disastrous impact on domestic agriculture production and small farmers,” the SKM said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal succumbed to the pressure of the EU to maintain its complex, expensive sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) barriers to block agricultural exports from India, including grapes and mangoes, while using the FTA to dilute India’s own standards to ease the entry of their produce, the SKM said.

“This double standard protects EU farmers while exposing our fields and consumers to unfair and unsafe competition. The stringent rejection of grape, apple, mango and other producers will be repeatedly continued even after this deal. Admission to such a system is betrayal of farmers’ interests,” the statement added.

The FTA’s “high level” Intellectual Property protection is a Trojan horse for European seed and agro-chemical monopolies, the SKM said. “Through this deal the BJP government has pushed corporate profits above people’s lives and farmers’ rights. This agenda has also been reflected in the NDA’s (National Democratic Alliance) proposed Seed Bill 2025,” the SKM said, adding that it would continue to mobilise farmers, and join hands with workers to oppose the government’s surrender to European corporate interests. “SKM will intensify its campaign to make the General strike most successful on February 12 against the corporate legislations, policies, and the India-EU FTA,” the statement said.