Trump’s tactics will test PM’s ‘farmers first’ resolve
US President Donald Trump’s tariff blitzkrieg against India has triggered a firm response from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has reassured the country’s farmers that their interests will not be compromised at any cost. His statement has assumed greater significance on the birth centenary of renowned agri scientist MS Swaminathan, the architect of the Green Revolution that transformed a food-deficient India into a food-surplus nation. It’s obvious that New Delhi has decided to stand up to Washington, which wants reduced tariffs on products like corn, soybean, apples, almonds and ethanol, besides increased access to the Indian market for American dairy goods. The PM’s commitment to protect livelihoods in three key sectors for rural communities — agriculture, dairy farming and fisheries — is commendable. However, this strong resolve will be put to the test by Trump, who is bent on exerting more pressure on India to wean it away from Russian crude oil.
