The federation in a letter to the Prime Minister has urged him to "resist the temptation" of opening the poultry sector and slashing the import duty for American dairy products as sought by the US as it might put over 2 crore jobs at risk.
Earlier RSS-affiliate Swadeshi Jagaran Manch (SJM) had said that it remains opposed to any tariff concession or market access for products that might impact farmers' income.
During President Trump's visit on February 24-25, it is widely expected that India and the US would sign a limited trade deal. Further, in order to get some of the preferences restored, India may offer some concessions such as opening the dairy sector and cutting tariff on chicken legs from 100 per cent to 25 per cent.
Industry sources said that Indian government is well aware of the concerns of the local dairy and poultry sectors and would unlikely go against them.
In what seems to be giving credence to it is that the US Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer this week put off his trip to India suggesting that any trade deal compromising the interests of local farmers would be difficult to finalise.
