Protesting Haryana farmers seeking MSP for sunflower seed threaten to block NH 44
After their first meeting with the Haryana education minister and officials failed to yield any result, farmers had announced that they will continue with their protests
Bhartiya Kisan Union (Charuni) has come out in support of the farmers who are protesting the government’s decision not to buy sunflower seed on the minimum support price (MSP). The union has threatened to intensify the agitation and block National Highway 44 on June 6 if the government failed to address the issue.
After their first meeting with the Haryana education minister and officials failed to yield any result, farmers had announced that they will continue with their protests.
Notably, Kurukshetra district administration, meanwhile, on Monday claimed that the Haryana State Co-operative Supply and Marketing Federation Limited (HAFED) have started commercial procurement of sunflower seed at five mandis of the district at ₹4,800 per quintal.
In a statement, Kurukshetra deputy commissioner Shantanu Sharma said 144 quintals of sunflower seed were procured on Monday and an additional ₹1,000 per quintal will be paid to farmers bringing the payment total to ₹5,800 per quintal against the MSP of ₹6,400.
Unmoved, BKU (Charuni) leaders said they remain adamant on their demand of MSP.
“We have call the farmers meeting a Shahbad on June 6 as the government was trying to divide farmers by luring them with the commercial procurement at ₹4800, selling their produce on MSP is the right of farmers and the next decision will be taken on Tuesday’s meeting”, BKU leader Rakesh Bains said.
The government’s refusal to offer MSP came as a jolt to the thousands of sunflower growers from northern Haryana ahead of the harvest season.
Farmers have not sold their produce to private traders and are awaiting the government to accept the demands.
“We have harvested four acres, but have not sold a single grain yet. We have even stopped harvesting further as there is a possibility that the government may accept our demands,” Krishan Kumar, a farmer who has grown sunflowers on eight acres, said.
The farmers said the government’s move has come as a surprise to them and will amount to losses of nearly ₹10,000 to ₹12,000 per acre.
Notably, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar during his three-day Jan Samvad programme in Kurukshetra last month had appreciated the efforts of sunflower farmers for growing three crops a year and assured MSP.
A month after the chief minister’s statement, however, the director of Haryana agriculture and farmers welfare department issued a notice declaring the sunflower seed and bajra in the list of crops covered under the Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana (BBY), which means that the government agencies will not procure these crops on MSP and it will provide ₹1,000 per quintal to farmers for selling their produce to private buyers.
“Farmers are left with no other option, but to sell it to the private traders at around ₹4,000 per quintal while the MSP for sunflower has been increased to ₹6,400 per quintal by the Centre”, said Rakesh Bains, a farmer leader from Shahbad.
“The government has announced to include sunflower crop under the BBY, but in this case, should compensate for the entire difference between the MSP and the price on which the farmers sell their produce,” he added.
Sunflower is grown on around 30,000 acres in the potato growing belts of Kurukshetra and Ambala districts. Sunflower helps to generate additional income to farmers as they could take three crops from a field in a year after paddy and potato.