Dehradun, July 22 -- Once again, farmers from Punjab have launched an agitation to protect what they perceive to be their interests. This time they are opposing the proposed trade deal with the US. They fear it will flood the domestic market with cheaper, heavily subsidised American agricultural products, crushing local crop prices and destroying their livelihoods. Under the banner of groups like the Desh Bachao Morcha and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), thousands of farmers have marched to state borders like the Shambhu Border to voice their resistance.
The key reasons behind the opposition include an inability to compete with subsidised US imports, such as asymmetrical scale - the average Indian farmer manages small landholdings of just ...