Farmers Stop Traffic on Highway in Haryana, Demand MSP for Sunflower Seeds

Olympic medal-winning wrestler Bajrang Punia also took part in the kisan mahapanchayat.

A national highway connecting Haryana and Delhi has been blocked by farmers on Monday, 12 June.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/Rakesh Tikait)

A national highway connecting Haryana and Delhi has been blocked by farmers on Monday, 12 June.

Details: The farmers have decided to prevent passage on NH 44 as part of their protests over sunflower crop prices, according to a report by NDTV.

• To prevent congestion, authorities have reportedly re-routed traffic away from the highway.

The big picture: A 'mahapanchayat' has been organised by farmers' organisations at a grain market in Pipli village that falls under Haryana's Kurukshetra district, the report said.

In attendance: The rally reportedly saw the presence of several farm leaders from Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and other neighbouring states

• Wrestler and Olympian Bajrang Punia was also present at the mahapanchayat, along with Bharat Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait.

Zoom in: Earlier this year, the Haryana government announced that sunflower crop would fall under a scheme that would compensate farmers with a fixed amount that is calculated against the produce sold below Minimum Support Price (MSP).

• The Bhavantar Bharpayee Yojana (BBY) proposed to offer farmers ₹1,000 for one quintal of sunflower crop sold below MSP.

The farmers want the state government buy back sunflower from them at an MSP of ₹6,400 per quintal, NDTV reported.

• They are also demanding that sunflower seeds be procured from the government at MSP.

• The release of protesters arrested in Shahabad recently is also on their list of demands.

Meanwhile, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had said on Saturday that the interim 'bharpai' had been set as a precautionary measure due to market fluctuations.