Cotton Farmers Betrayed: Samyukt Kisan Morcha Protests Import Duty Removal, Calls for MSP C2+50%

New Delhi: The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has strongly opposed the Union Government’s decision to scrap the 11 per cent import duty on cotton, calling it a direct assault on Indian farmers and a move that will deepen agrarian distress across cotton-growing states. The Finance Ministry issued a notification on August 19, 2025, eliminating both the import duty and the Agriculture Infrastructure Development Cess (AIDC) on cotton until September 30, claiming it was in the “public interest.” Farmers’ organisations, however, describe the decision as anti-farmer, pro-corporate and influenced by U.S. pressure.

SKM leaders pointed out the contradiction between Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day address, where he promised never to compromise the interests of farmers, fisherfolk and cattle keepers, and his government’s policy of removing cotton import tariffs. The farmers’ front alleged that Modi’s government bowed to U.S. demands after Washington imposed a 50 per cent tariff on Indian textile exports. Instead of protecting Indian cotton growers, the decision exposes 60 lakh cotton farmer households to unfair competition from heavily subsidised U.S. cotton producers, who receive nearly 12 per cent of production value in subsidies, compared to just 2.37 per cent support for Indian farmers.

The impact, SKM warned, will be immediate and devastating. Farmers in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana and other cotton-growing states have already sown their crops, and with harvest season near, the influx of cheap imports will crash domestic cotton prices. Open market rates are currently between ₹5,500 and ₹6,500 per quintal, far below the Comprehensive Cost (C2) plus 50 per cent benchmark of ₹10,075 per quintal recommended by the Swaminathan Commission. The official MSP for 2024–25 has been set at only ₹7,121 per quintal, resulting in a potential loss of ₹2,365 per quintal. With estimated production of 5.21 million tonnes, the total loss to farmers is calculated at over ₹1.23 lakh crore. On an average, every acre of cotton farmer has lost about ₹31,500 this season, while the government continues to highlight the PM-Kisan scheme of ₹6,000 per year, which SKM calls “token relief.”

The decision, SKM said, is especially dangerous in regions already known for agrarian distress and farmer suicides. Maharashtra alone reported 479 farmer suicides in March and April 2025, including 250 in Marathwada and Vidarbha in March and 229 in April. At present, families of suicide victims receive only ₹1 lakh compensation. SKM demanded that this be immediately raised to ₹25 lakh with retrospective effect from 2014, arguing that the Modi government has written off corporate debt worth ₹16.11 lakh crore since 2014 but has refused to waive farm loans or adequately compensate victims’ families.

The farmers’ organisation announced a series of protest actions. Copies of the August 19 notification will be burnt in villages, followed by public meetings in cotton belts from September 1 to 3 where Gram Sabhas will adopt resolutions demanding withdrawal of the order and immediate declaration of MSP at ₹10,075 per quintal. A signature campaign and door-to-door awareness drive will also be launched. If the government does not respond, SKM has threatened Mandal-level Mahapanchayats and protest marches to Members of Parliament. In addition, a delegation of SKM leaders will visit Vidarbha on September 17 and 18 to highlight the ongoing farmer suicides and worsening economic crisis.

According to SKM, India has the world’s largest cotton acreage, with over 120.55 lakh hectares under cultivation, but production has been steadily declining over the last decade. Farmers continue to face fluctuating prices, inadequate MSP procurement and rising input costs, leaving them vulnerable to both domestic neglect and international pressure. SKM warned that if farmers do not resist, the Union Government will go further by opening Indian markets to other U.S. farm products through future Free Trade Agreements.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha concluded that the elimination of cotton import duty is not only a betrayal of Indian farmers but also a dangerous precedent that threatens the future of Indian agriculture. The farmers’ front called for unity and intensified agitation, declaring that the struggle will continue until the government reverses its decision and ensures MSP at C2+50 per cent for cotton.