GM trade-off: Is India prioritising US farmers over its own?

The deadline for the reciprocal tariff threat issued by US President Donald Trump is fast approaching, and has sparked a wide range of concerns across the globe. In India, these concerns are particularly focused on agricultural products and their trade implications.

Amidst this backdrop, two NITI Aayog members — Raka Saxena and Ramesh Chand — have authored a working paper addressing the issue. Titled 'Promoting India-US Agricultural Trade under the New US Trade Regime', the paper attempts to explore the possibilities and challenges of agricultural trade between the two countries. The paper was released on 30 May and uploaded to the NITI Aayog website the same day.

Though the working paper does not offer concrete solutions to balance agricultural imports and exports between India and the US, it presents several observations and recommendations — some of which have sparked considerable controversy. Among the most debated suggestions is the idea of allowing duty-free imports of genetically modified (GM) soybean and maize from the US.

The missing link on the NITI Aayog website Farmers have new reasons to worry

Owing to the sensitive nature of these conclusions, especially their potential impact on Indian farmers, the link to the paper has now been removed from the NITI Aayog website. While the document still appears on the list of working papers, the downloadable PDF version has quietly disappeared, raising further questions about its status.

On Tuesday, Congress MP and general-secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh was the first to publicly raise the issue. His criticism included the allegation that the paper prioritised the interests of midwestern American farmers and large multinational corporations over Indian farmers, particularly maize farmers in Bihar and soybean farmers in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan.

The NITI Aayog paper called for allowing duty free import of genetically modified maize and soyabean from the US. For the Modi sarkar, the interests of Midwestern American farmers and large Multinational Corporation traders are bigger than that of the maize farmers of Bihar and… https://t.co/wvetw6fysS

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) June 30, 2025

Just recently, agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had made a clear statement indicating that the government has no immediate plans to allow GM seeds (though GM seeds of cotton and mustard are already available to Indian farmers) in Indian agriculture. No new GM seeds will be introduced for now.

If we compare this stance with the recommendations in the NITI Aayog paper, a contradiction becomes evident: the paper hints at giving American farmers the benefit of GM crops through duty-free access, while Indian farmers are still restricted from using such seeds themselves.

It is important to note that the document in question is a working paper, not an official policy document. As such, its contents do not represent formal government policy. However, the paper does provide insights into the thinking within NITI Aayog and, possibly, the direction of internal deliberations within the government. The controversy highlights the complex and often conflicting pressures shaping India’s agricultural policy in the face of global trade challenges.

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