Modi vows to ‘stand like a wall’ for farmers amid Trump’s tariff push

NEW DELHI — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Friday that he would not make any trade deal that harms India’s farmers, sending a clear message to the U.S. as tensions grow over President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

“India’s farmers, cattle growers and fishers are our topmost priority. … Modi is standing like a wall against any policy that harms their interests,” he said addressing the country in Hindi from the ramparts of Delhi’s Red Fort on India’s 79th Independence Day. “India will never strike any deal that [could go against their interests].”

His comments come as agriculture and dairy products have become a sticking point in trade talks with the U.S., as India is unwilling to open up these sectors. The prime minister’s remarks also follow Trump’s imposition of baseline 25% “retaliatory tariffs” on India — in addition to another 25% penalty for buying Russian oil and weapons, which is to come into effect later this month, raising the total to 50%.

In his 12th consecutive Independence Day speech since assuming office in 2014, Modi pushed for self-reliance in many sectors, including semiconductors, energy and defense.

“We are working on semiconductors on a mission mode,” he said in his marathon speech lasting over 100 minutes. “By the end of this year, Made-in-India semiconductor chips … made by the people of India, will hit the market.”

Meanwhile, with Trump having claimed that India is a “tariff king,” officials in New Delhi said that “contrary to common perceptions in U.S. policy circles, the South Asian nation is not the world’s most protectionist economy.”

India’s applied weighted mean tariff stands at 4.6%, which is comparable to, and in many cases lower than, several major economies, they said, adding that India’s tariff regime is broadly in line with global norms.

“India imposes zero to low duties on many key U.S. exports like crude oil, coal, LNG (liquefied natural gas), pharmaceuticals, aircraft parts and machinery, maintaining higher tariffs only in a few sensitive sectors, as is standard global practice,” one of the officials said, preferring not to be named. “Far from being a ‘tariff king,’ India today offers one of the most open and accessible large markets for U.S. exporters.”

Highlighting “Made in India,” Modi said in his speech that the country has to prove its mettle in the world market by producing high-quality, globally competitive products. “The mantra for all of us engaged in production should be: ‘lower cost but greater value.'”

On the issue of energy, Modi said it is well known that India is dependent on many countries for its energy requirements and spends billions of dollars to import, whether it is petrol, diesel or gas, emphasizing the need for the country to be self-reliant in this field.

“Keeping in mind future energy requirements … India is also taking very big initiatives in the field of nuclear energy. Work is progressing fast on 10 new nuclear reactors, and we are moving forward with the resolve to increase our nuclear energy capacity tenfold by 2047, the centenary of India’s independence [from British rule] by when the country aims to be a developed nation,” he said.

Modi also called for self-reliance in the field of defense. “Today, I urge my country’s young scientists, my talented youth, my engineers and professionals, as well as all departments of the government that we should have our jet engines for our own Made in India fighter jets.”

In addition, he announced a project called “Sudarshan Chakra” to enhance strategic defense through the development of a powerful weapon system by 2035 that will “not only neutralize any attempt by enemies to attack us, but will also hit back at the enemies with even greater force.” He did not elaborate on the type of weapon this would be.

The project is designed to achieve rapid, precise and powerful defense responses, Modi pointed out, adding that this new technological platform being developed over the next 10 years will protect all critical strategic as well as civilian infrastructure such as railways, hospitals and religious sites. “I want to expand this national protective shield by 2035.”

The article appeared in asia.nikkei