Cotton farmers protest Piyush Goyal’s remarks on U.S. imports, warn of price crash

Groups of cotton farmers across the country have protested Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal’s recent statement that if India purchases raw cotton from the United States, processes it domestically, makes cloth, and exports the finished products back to the U.S., then the country can also avail a zero reciprocal tariff—similar to a facility reportedly extended to Bangladesh. Farmers’ organisations argued that by taking such a stand, the Centre ignored the interests of domestic cotton cultivators.

Mr. Goyal had said that the Opposition was misleading the public by claiming Bangladesh had secured greater benefits. “Just as Bangladesh has a facility that if raw material is purchased from America, processed into cloth and exported, it will be available at zero reciprocal tariff, India also has the same facility and will get it,” he said. 

Farmers voice concern

Several farmer bodies, particularly those working among cotton farmers, have decided to launch protests. Gurbhej Singh Rohiwala, a district leader of Bharatiya Kisan (Union) (Ekta-Ugrahan) in Fazilka, Punjab, said the district was once known as the “Manchester of Punjab” for its high-quality cotton.

“Five blocks in this district were known for cotton production. We even had a separate market for cotton procurement. In the last decade, production declined primarily due to poor prices. Now we know the real reason for this neglect. If the government wants to import cotton from the U.S., what is its plan for cotton farmers in Punjab and other States?” asked Mr. Rohiwala. 

Palbhai Ambalia, a farmers’ leader from Gujarat, echoed similar concerns. “How can a farmer accept such statements? Mr. Goyal’s state of mind is anti-farmer. He is working for big textile companies. What should cotton farmers do if India allows cheap U.S. cotton to be dumped here?, Mr. Ambalia asked. 

SKM demands resignation

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), reiterating its demand for Mr. Goyal’s resignation, said, “The statement revealed the naked truth that the Narendra Modi Government surrendered the self-reliance and sovereignty of India to the U.S. The declaration proves that the claim that ‘agriculture is out of the U.S. trade deal’ is false and is meant to mislead people, and substantiates the fact that FTAs signed by the Modi Government are the blueprint of economic colonisation of India. The BJP plans to make India a dumping yard of U.S. products and a loot market for MNCs,” the SKM said. 

Importing raw cotton at zero tariffs will devastate the cotton farmers of India by depleting the domestic prices, the SKM said. If calculated as per the M.S. Swaminathan formula, the minimum support price (MSP) for cotton should have been ₹10,075 per quintal, and the MSP fixed was ₹7,710 per quintal. “Cotton imports from the U.S. surged 95.5% from $199.30 million in January-November 2024 to $ 377.90 million in January-November 2025,” the SKM said. 

“It’s surrender before U.S.”

The All India Kisan Sabha termed Mr. Goyal’s statement “anti-farmer and atrocious”. “Import of raw cotton from the U.S. will further reduce the already low domestic price, and the crisis-ridden cotton fields will witness intensifying indebtedness as well as greater peasant suicides. The Commerce Minister’s declaration on raw cotton import exposed the lies that agriculture is out of the ambit of the U.S. trade deal and the Prime Minister will never compromise the interests of the farmers, and substantiates the criticism that the FTAs signed by the BJP-led NDA Government represent total capitulation before U.S. Imperialism,” the AIKS said.

Alleging that Mr. Goyal supports the highly mechanised, state-sponsored cotton farmers of the U.S., the AIKS said India’s cotton production for 2025–26 is estimated at 29.22 million bales, whereas U.S. production for 2024–25 stood at 14.41 million bales—roughly half of India’s output. “If Indian farmers are exposed to unrestricted global competition, they will not be able to compete with heavily subsidised and technologically advanced cotton producers in countries such as the United States, Australia, and China,” the organisation said and added that the likely outcome would be further distress, pushing already crisis-ridden cotton farmers towards abandoning agriculture altogether.