Farmers in Haryana, India, have decided to end their protest after the state government agreed to pay the minimum support price (MSP) for their sunflower crop. The farmer leader, Rakesh Tikait, announced the end of the protest, saying, We were protesting so that our crops are purchased at MSP. We will keep fighting for MSP across the country. He added that the cases filed against their leaders will be taken back, and their leaders will be released soon.
The farmer leaders were demanding the implementation of the MSP of INR 6,400 ($87) for sunflower seeds. The protesters claimed that the government was not buying sunflower seeds at the MSP. As a result, they were forced to sell their produce to private buyers at around INR 4,000 ($55) per quintal against INR 6,400 MSP.
While addressing the media, Farmer leader Karam Singh Mathana said that the Haryana government has agreed to fulfil their demand for MSP. However, the major issue of MSP is still not solved, and they will keep fighting for MSP across the country. Kurukshetra DC Shantanu Sharma said that the Haryana government has always been in support of the farmers and that the Chief Minister has agreed to increase MSP for sunflower crop.
Earlier, Kurukshetra SP Surinder Singh Bhoria appealed to the farmers to end their protest and stated that the Haryana government and police are standing with the farmers. The farmers from Haryana and neighbouring states of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh among others gathered at the Pipli grain market to protest against the government’s failure to purchase sunflower seeds at the MSP.
On June 6, Haryana farmers took to the streets near Shahabad and blocked the Delhi-Chandigarh national highway demanding MSP for sunflower seeds. The protest was called by BKU (Charuni) chief Gurnam Singh Charuni. With the government’s agreement to pay the MSP for sunflower seeds, the farmers have ended their protest.
