Modi vows to ‘stand like a wall’ to protect India’s farmers

The leader has committed to make the country economically self-reliant amid escalating trade tensions with the US

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has declared that his government will “stand like a wall” to protect the interests of the nation’s farmers. The remark comes amid escalating trade tensions with the US after President Donald Trump imposed a 50% tariff on Indian goods.

New Delhi and Washington have been engaged in talks over a trade deal, with multiple reports suggesting that the negotiations hit a roadblock as the Indian government was reluctant to open up its agriculture and dairy markets to American products.

”I am standing like a wall for our farmers,” Modi said in his Independence Day speech at Delhi’s Red Fort on Friday. He added that self-reliance in agriculture and industry was a way to protect India’s sovereignty.

The Indian leader called on the country to increase its economic resilience by making products with lower costs and higher value.

”Self-reliance is not just about exports, imports, the rupee, or the dollar. It is about our capabilities, our strength to stand on our own,” Modi added.

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