India accomplished a hard bargain by resisting to open Indian dairy sector for Europe!

India has firmly resisted EU pressures to open its dairy sector during recent Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, safeguarding millions of small farmers and rural livelihoods. Despite Brussels pushing for market access amid geopolitical tensions, New Delhi drew clear red lines, echoing Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal's 2024 stance: no dairy concessions or no deal. The January 2026 India-EU FTA announcement confirms this, protecting sensitive agriculture like dairy, cereals, and poultry while slashing tariffs on machinery, chemicals, and Indian exports such as textiles. This balances export gains with food security, prioritizing domestic cooperatives like Amul over cheap imports