Across the world, just four companies — ADM, Bunge, Cargill & Louis Dreyfus (popularly known as ABCD) control much of the global grain trade (nearly 90%). If India signs trade deals without protecting its farmers, our kisans may remain landowners but risk becoming contract growers for global conglomerates. The farm-to-fork model is sold as modernization. If unchecked, it can centralize control of agriculture into a few corporate hands. Real reform must balance scale with farmer and MSME (food processing) empowerment. How control can shift away from farmers if safeguards are weak: Input dependency on corporate seeds & chemicals; Contract farming with dictated prices; Corporate control of storage & logistics. Result: Farmers move from owners → contract producers → quasi-sharecroppers. Indo-US FTA brings risks: US farm subsidies dwarf India’s; Patent rules may restrict seed saving; MNCs bypass mandis; Small farmers & local traders lose price power. Ownership stays on paper. Economic control can shift elsewhere. At the same time, trade liberalisation can bring opportunity — if structured wisely. Opening corridors and markets will not only attract global trading houses and large agribusinesses, but also create space for India’s medium and small enterprises, agri-startups, processors, transporters and exporters. The key question: will our farmers and MSMEs be partners — or just spectators? Punjab: It should be India’s gateway to Central Asia & Europe. Yet land trade remains restricted. Security concerns are real — but so is the economic cost of a closed corridor. When India can trade with China despite border tensions, why can calibrated, secure trade not operate via Wagah? Opening controlled corridors could: Boost Punjab’s economy; Expand export markets for farmers & MSMEs; Reduce logistics costs; Attract global trading houses & food companies; Strengthen regional stability through economic interdependence. If India aspires to be a Vishwa Guru, it must use economic diplomacy boldly and wisely: Secure, monitored trade corridors through Punjab; Farmer-producer export zones; Agro-processing & storage hubs; Land access to Central Asia & Europe; Strong safeguards for farmers & small businesses. Punjab can be India’s northern trade engine. This path is difficult — but that is precisely why governments and political leadership exist: to resolve complex challenges, balance interests, and ensure that economic growth improves the lives of ordinary people. Farmers and small businesses must remain stakeholders in India’s growth — not sharecroppers of global conglomerates.