Small traders and farmers on Thursday staged rallies to protest the entry of big corporations in the retail sector and the India foray of US firm Wal-Mart.

"The livelihood of retail traders are at stake, if big retailers like Wal-Mart and Reliance come into the country, small traders would be finished," Confederation of All India Traders general secretary Praveen Khandelwal said in a statement here.

Social activists, small traders and farmers organised protests in various cities across India, seeking restriction on foreign players' participation in the retail sector.

The protesters demand that the joint venture between India's Bharti Enterprises and world's largest retailer Wal-Mart should be ended, Dharmendra Kumar, director of India FDI Watch and national coordinator of Vyapaar Aur Rozgar Bachao Andolan (save trade and employment campaign), said in the statement.

Bharti and Wal-Mart on August 6 announced a joint venture for wholesale cash and carry business. The business falls under the 100 per cent FDI route and does not need an approval from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board.

Small traders fear the entry of big corporations such as Bharti and Reliance Industries [Get Quote] in the retail sector will hurt their livelihood. Khandelwal said a mass campaign would be launched to ensure big retailers do not ruin livelihoods of small traders.

According to the statement, protest rallies were held in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata as well as smaller cities of Jaipur, Ranchi, Nagpur, Nasik, Pune and Indore.