Protesting farmers in Haryana called off their agitation on Tuesday after authorities assured them of an “appropriate price” for their sunflower seeds, The Indian Express reported.
The farmers had blocked the national highway connecting Delhi and Chandigarh at the Pipli village of Haryana’s Kurukshetra district for 33 hours, seeking Minimum Support Price for sunflower seed from the state government.
Minimum Support Price is the rate at which the government buys farm produce. It is based on a calculation of at least one and a half times the cost of production incurred by farmers.
On Tuesday evening, Kurukshetra Deputy Commissioner Shantanu Sharma held a meeting with a delegation of farmers. After the meeting, Bharatiya Kisan Union Rakesh Tikait said that the protestors would end the blockade.
“We were protesting so that our crops are purchased at minimum support price,” he said. “We will keep fighting for MSP across the country. Our leaders will also be released soon. Cases filed against our leaders will be taken back.”
The district administration assured the protestors that farmers leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni, who was arrested on June 6, will be released.
A video by ANI showed the demonstrators celebrating after the protest ended.
Earlier, the farmers had been selling sunflower seeds in the open market at Rs 4,000 a quintal, according to NDTV. The government had also been giving them an additional support amount of Rs 1,000 per quintal.
The farmers had been demanding that the government should procure sunflower seeds at the Minimum Support Price of Rs 6,400 per quintal.
It is not currently clear whether the government will buy sunflower seeds at Rs 6,400 per quintal or pay the balance amount when farmers sell the commodity in the open market. The protestors said that the government has agreed to provide adequate compensation.
On Monday, Olympic medal-winning wrestler Bajrang Punia, who is part of the protest against Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, had attended a mahapanchayat called by the farmers at the Pipli village.
“Even we come from farmer families,” he had said. “We will stand with the farmers who are standing on the roads. We have supported farmers even during the farmers protest and we will keep supporting them.”
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