It has been a long journey for the Indian farmer — from being the provider of the family to being a distant and poor relative. For the Indian state, farmers are now expendable, except as voters. The decision to trade away farmers’ interests in the India-US trade deal is yet another confirmation of the place of farmers in the new scheme of things. The post-Independence Indian state has never had a forward-looking vision for the farming community. Instead of fair prices, the Indian state offered cheap electricity, free irrigation and subsidised fertilisers, and pushed the farmers into permanent dependency.

Source: Indian Express February 11, 2026 13:48 UTC