Mysuru: About 45 members of  Karnataka State Sugarcane Growers Association were taken into preventive custody by City Police while they tried to block Mysuru-Nanjangud Highway near the Ring Road junction, here this morning. They were taken into custody as they continued to protest despite Police asking them to vacate the place.

The farmers protested against Central Government’s decision to enter Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement, a proposed free trade agreement between the ten Member-Countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its six FTA (Free Trade Agreement) partners. 

Stating that RCEP would be detrimental to farmers as the agriculture and food sectors would be badly hit, the farmers feared that developed countries would dump their excess agri produce in India under zero import duty concept and added that dairy sector too would be hit hard. 

They urged the Union Government to keep away agriculture and food sector from the ambit of any free trade concept. 

Meanwhile, over 400 farmers under the aegis of Karnataka Rajya Raitha        Sangha (KRRS) and Hasiru Sene along with a few cattle took out a protest march opposing RCEP from Ramaswamy Circle to DC office yesterday. The farmers held placards with punching messages saying No to milk, sugar, silk, food grains and other items from abroad. 

Writer Devanur Mahadeva, KRRS State President Badagalapura Nagendra led the protest.