Farmer organisations from across India have called for protests against the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), with some even threatening to block essential supplies.
After the Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangh (RKMS), the All-India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) has also announced nationwide protest on November 4 “to warn the government against going ahead with inclusion of agriculture in RCEP free trade agreement”.
“The RCEP is likely to hurt Indian agriculture and dairy sector in a way no other trade agreement has so far,” said AIKSCC, a grouping of 250 farmer organisations. It also asked the Modi government to not go ahead with signing of multilateral free trade agreement involving 16 countries.
Though negotiations of the RCEP are still going on, the the farmer bodies fear that the signing the free trade agreement under it will lead to lowering of subsidies and giving market access to other countries at the cost of India’s agriculture and dairy sectors.
