Farmers across Europe are in deep distress over the rising cost of production inflicted by high energy prices and cost of fertilizers, along with low prices for their produce facilitated by the EU

A week-long protest, including rallies and blockades in major motorways across Greece, forced the New Democracy (ND) government to call the farmers for negotiations on Tuesday

Farmers’ unions have called for a protest at the EU summit in Brussels on February 1, denouncing free trade agreements and the EU-instigated policies hampering their domestic markets

Once in full effect, the agreement will cover close to 30% of the global population and GDP. However, trade unions and people’s movements have been opposing the deal for years

Even as the new agreement between ASEAN nations and its free trade partners establishes the largest trading bloc in the world, it is vehemently being opposed by labor unions, trade justice groups and women’s movements

What drove India to take this drastic step and what is the way forward in terms of addressing the crisis of Indian agriculture and manufacturing?

India’s difficulty in acceding to the mega regional free trade agreement, RCEP, currently being negotiated among 16 Asia-Pacific nations, is reflective of a deep malaise in not just its trade policy but also domestic economy.