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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Farmers scream 'vendetta'

While top leaders of both countries cheer, the reality on the ground is very different Mumbai : Top leaders in the US and India hailed the latest trade deal between the two leading democracies as at least 32 farmers ended their life in Maharashtra in January, officials said.   Farmers' leaders like All India Kisan Sabha President Dr. Ashok Dhawale and Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti Chairman Kishore Tiwari promptly slammed the NDA Government of 'vendetta' and 'victimising' the Indian...

Farmers scream 'vendetta'

While top leaders of both countries cheer, the reality on the ground is very different Mumbai : Top leaders in the US and India hailed the latest trade deal between the two leading democracies as at least 32 farmers ended their life in Maharashtra in January, officials said.   Farmers' leaders like All India Kisan Sabha President Dr. Ashok Dhawale and Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti Chairman Kishore Tiwari promptly slammed the NDA Government of 'vendetta' and 'victimising' the Indian agriculturists.   "On one hand the Union Budget has nothing spectacular for the farming community and on the other the government has virtually opened the doors for American agriculture corporations to enter India. This will further ruin our farmers," Tiwari told The Perfect Voice.   "The US-India trade deal is a clear vendetta against the farmers for their long and successful struggles against the BJP government in the past over seven years. Even the earlier agreements with the United Kingdom and the European Union and now the latest (USA) have been on the same lines," fumed Dr. Dhawale.   "There was no anticipated relief in the Budget 2026-2027, and there's a spate of suicides being reported from Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh mainly from the cotton and soybean regions. On the contrary our farmers are being punished for taking a stand against the government," Dr. Dhawale told The Perfect Voice.   Attacking the government, Tiwari said that PM Narendra Modi only talks of Atmanirbhar and Swadeshi but his actions are exactly contradictory.   Referring to the US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins hailing the US-India trade deal, both Tiwari and Dr. Dhawale fear that doom looms over the Indian farming community.   Rollins said on X today: "New US-India deal will export more American farm products to India's massive market, lifting prices, and pumping cash into rural America. In 2024, America’s agricultural trade deficit with India was $1.3 billion. India’s growing population is an important market for American agricultural products and today’s deal will go a long way to reducing this deficit." Dr. Dhawale said that the three big recently concluded free international trade agreements may be disastrous not only for the cotton-soybean farmers but the entire Indian agro-economy. Tiwari feels the distress in the farmlands is bound to worsen with such questionable FTAs as all the aid packages of successive Indian government's in the past 20 years have failed as they did not address the core issues affecting the farmers. "Instead, of MIGA, we seem to be obsessed with MAGA. The BJP must first make our own farmers prosperous before looking at the world," said Tiwari in a swipe at the government. Core farm issues ignored The AIKS and VJAS have stressed the need to issue the primary issues like input costs reduction, providing irrigation in dryland regions, monitoring and restoring soil health, effective reforms in the MSP, village base storage and processing facilities.   The two organisations also seek long-term credit policy to replace the existing political doles or loans waivers, attractive incentives for diversification from cash crops to food crops, millets, or pulses.   India–US trade deal has NOT been signed yet: Goyal Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal has said that the India–US trade deal has NOT been signed yet. He said it will be inked soon. He said core interests are protected: India’s priorities, farmers, MSMEs, dairy, and agriculture, remain non-negotiable. "India is negotiating, from a position of interest, not impulse," asserted Goyal.

India housing market outperforms global peers: Knight Frank

India’s residential housing market continues to outperform most global peers, demonstrating resilience amid easing interest rates and an uneven global recovery, according to Knight Frank’s Global House Price Index Q3 2025 and India Real Estate: Office and Residential Market – H2 2025 reports.


Globally, annual house price growth strengthened modestly to 2.4 per cent in the third quarter of 2025 as major central banks pivoted towards monetary easing. Against this backdrop, India emerged as one of the strongest performers, ranking 10th worldwide with a 9.6 per cent year-on-year rise in residential property prices.


India was also the only Asia-Pacific market to feature in the global top 10, significantly outperforming the global average and underlining the strength of end-user-driven demand.


Turkey topped the global charts with nominal price growth of 32.2 per cent year-on-year, although real prices remained marginally negative due to high inflation. Other strong performers included North Macedonia, Portugal, Bulgaria and Hungary, largely driven by supply constraints and sustained demand in select European markets.


Knight Frank’s data shows that residential sales across India’s top eight cities remained steady in 2025 at over 348,000 units, with the second half of the year recording the highest sales volumes since 2013. Despite an increase in unsold inventory, largely due to the launch of higher-value projects, market health indicators remained stable. The quarters-to-sell ratio stood at a balanced 5.8 quarters, indicating sustained absorption.


Price growth was broad-based across major Indian cities. The National Capital Region led the pack with a sharp 19 per cent year-on-year increase, followed by Hyderabad at 13 per cent, Bengaluru at 12 per cent and Mumbai at 7 per cent.


According to the report, this upward momentum reflects strong demand in the premium and mid-to-premium segments, supported by cumulative interest-rate cuts, benign inflation and rising household incomes.


A significant structural shift in buyer preferences continued through 2025. Homes priced above Rs 1 crore accounted for nearly 50 per cent of total residential sales, highlighting growing demand for larger, better-quality homes in well-located developments. Developers, in response, have moderated new launches, focused on execution and offered targeted financing incentives rather than resorting to price corrections, helping maintain sales momentum.


Commenting on the outlook, Shishir Baijal, International Partner, Chairman and Managing Director of Knight Frank India, said India’s housing market continues to stand apart in an otherwise uneven global environment. “The combination of strong economic growth, easing financial conditions and a decisive shift towards end-user-led demand has created a more mature and resilient residential cycle. As we move into 2026, we expect the market to be defined by stable absorption, selective price appreciation and disciplined supply, rather than speculative excess,” he said.


Globally, emerging and select European markets dominated the upper end of the price growth rankings in Q3 2025, while several mature markets continued to lag. Price declines persisted in parts of Northern Europe and East Asia, underscoring the uneven nature of the global housing recovery.


Looking ahead, Knight Frank expects a cautiously improving outlook for global housing markets. The broad pivot towards rate cuts is easing borrowing costs and supporting buyer sentiment, but real price growth remains under pressure in many countries due to lingering inflation.


“Nominal growth has edged higher again as central banks pivot towards cuts, but real gains are still hard-won. To see firmer growth into 2026, policymakers will need to maintain an easing stance while inflation continues to retreat,” said Liam Bailey, Global Head of Research at Knight Frank.


With supportive global monetary conditions and robust domestic fundamentals, India’s residential sector is well positioned to sustain its relative outperformance in the period ahead, the report noted.

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