# Opposition playing up farmer issue, says Nirmala Sitharaman

> Indian Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman defended the government's decision to cut and then re-impose wheat import duties, saying the moves responded to drought and then to a bumper crop forecast. Farmers in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra have protested that falling prices, worsened by the duty removal, are hurting incomes.

- Date: 2017-06-13 · published 2017-06-13T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: policy · region India · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/70444-opposition-playing-up-farmer-issue-says-nirmala-sitharaman
- Commodities: [Wheat (SRW)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/WHEAT.md)

## Why it matters

The import-duty swings shaped Indian wheat import demand, and the bumper crop outlook points to weaker domestic prices and fewer imports ahead.

## Read by commodity

- WHEAT: bearish ▼

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| WHEAT | 2024-05-17 | [Key Provisions in House Farm Bill - Pro Farmer](https://feedsoft.ai/events/30234-key-provisions-in-house-farm-bill-pro-farmer.md) | +19.4% | +8.4% |
| WHEAT | 2021-03-29 | [Black Sea wheat sharply lower on new crop prospects, Russian farmers hope that the tax will be lifted in 2021 - The Sizov Report blog](https://feedsoft.ai/events/48192-black-sea-wheat-sharply-lower-on-new-crop-prospects-russian-farmers-hope-that.md) | -0.5% | +4.2% |
| WHEAT | 2025-07-18 | [What’s next for farm programs? - High Plains Journal](https://feedsoft.ai/events/23747-what-s-next-for-farm-programs-high-plains-journal.md) | +1.5% | -1.1% |
| WHEAT | 2021-03-10 | [NITI Aayog suggests export boost to solve stocking issues. - Food Infotech](https://feedsoft.ai/events/48078-niti-aayog-suggests-export-boost-to-solve-stocking-issues-food-infotech.md) | -0.4% | -0.6% |
| WHEAT | 2019-05-23 | [USDA Announces Support for Farmers Impacted by Unjustified Retaliation and Trade Disruption](https://feedsoft.ai/events/5441-usda-announces-support-for-farmers-impacted-by-unjustified-retaliation-and.md) | -13.0% | -6.4% |

## Sources

- thehindu.com: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/opposition-playing-up-farmer-issue-says-nirmala-sitharaman/article19033602.ece

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.