NEW DELHI, May 3: Opposing the proposed free trade agreement between India and the European Union, senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi today said it would hurt interests of farmers besides sectors like pharmaceuticals and dairy.
“There are no sectors which will not get affected from this (India-EU) FTA, but the most visible impact will have on agriculture. It will have a negative impact on poor as well as rich and corporates. After its implementation, it will not be business as usual,” Joshi said here at a function.
He was speaking at the function of Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) on India-EU FTA.
Joshi said that since the onset of the liberalisation programme, thousands of farmers have left farming.
He said FTAs are not benefiting India and instead they yield more fruits for the country with which India is signing such pacts.
“When India export agri commodities, developed countries raise several questions such as the quality of pesticides used by the farmers,” he said adding on the other hand, their shipments are increasing in the country.
He said the proposed FTA have lots of loop holes which needs to be looked at greater depth. “It will have serious implications on sectors like dairy and pharmaceuticals. Drug prices are increasing day by day.”
India and the EU are negotiating a Broadbased Trade and Investment Agreement since June 2007 and several rounds of meetings have already been held between the two sides.
EU is pressing for significant duty cuts in auto, wines and spirits and dairy products, besides hike in FDI cap in the insurance sector and a strong intellectual property regime. On the other hand, India wants liberalised visa norms for its professionals, data secure status and market access in services, pharmaceuticals, agriculture and textiles sector.
Sharing similar views, senior CPI(M) leader Vasudev Acharya said that this agreement would impact farmers.
“The India-EU FTA will impact farmers more. This will be a big attack on Indian farmers community,” he said, adding there is an urgent need for a “vigorous campaign to build pressure on the government” against this pact.
Acharya said he would raise the issue in Parliament and asked the traders to fight against this pact so that government could not move on this agreement.
CAIT secretary general Praveen Khandelwal said government has so far maintained complete secrecy on the pact and asked for its discussion in detail in Parliament.
“The FTA will effect access to affordable medicines for patients. It will impact agri sector. We can not compete with EU as they provide huge subsidies to their farmers,” he said. (PTI)
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