US Threatens India With Fear For Importing US-Grown Corn amid Tariff Tensions

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick threatened with fear that New Delhi might lose its access to the American market if it denies to purchase US-grown corn. He warned that New Delhi could face a challenging time if it doesn't take down its tariffs. Furthermore, he stated that the India-US relationship is one-way. Adding that:  "They sell to us and take advantage of us. They block us from their economy, and they sell to us while we are wide open for them to come in and take advantage.

US-grown corn is genetically modified

The US-grown corn is genetically modified, and India does not use this genetically modified corn. Neither import nor local cultivation by farmers is permitted to halt the genetically modified varieties from entering the food chain, even via soil or consumption by animals. Even the NITI Aayog Proposal to grow genetically modified corn for ethanol was also suspended.
Not only this, the genetically modified US-grown corn is the world’s cheapest and is used as animal fodder, not meant to be for human consumption.

Why a sudden Push for importing US-grown Corn?

 Additionally, the agricultural groups in the US have noted that this year is extremely challenging for American Farmers due to economic tensions with China. Beijing and Washington have been stuck in a trade war since April, which prompted a sharp fall in Chinese orders for American crops. Consequently, it led to American farmers filing small business bankruptcies, the number of which has reached a five-year high, as stated by Bloomberg’s compiled data.