Farmers block NH-44 in Kurukshetra, demand MSP for sunflower seed

Hundreds of protesting farmers blocked the National Highway-44 in Kurukshetra's Shahabad over the Haryana government's decision not to buy sunflower seeds at the minimum support price (MSP).This comes days after Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) Charuni threatened to intensify the agitation if the government failed to take the decision on the procurement of sunflower crops on the MSP by June 6.The BKU Charuni had called its meeting at Shahabad-Markanda town in Kurukshetra district to decide strategy on the issue of inclusion of sunflower crop under the Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana by the state government with interim support to the farmers of Rs 1,000 per quintal and procurement on the MSP,Kurukshetra deputy commissioner Shantanu Sharma said that 144 quintals of sunflower seed were procured on Monday and an additional ₹1,000 per quintal will be paid to farmers, as reported by Hindustan Times. According to the report, many police personnel are at the location to control the situation.The government's refusal to offer MSP came as a jolt to thousands of sunflower growers from northern Haryana ahead of the harvest season, HT reported. The central government, meanwhile, is weighing a 3-8 per cent increase in the MSP for key kharif crops in 2023-24.Earlier on May 31, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar deposited Rs 181 crore into the bank accounts of 67,758 farmers as compensation for the loss of their crops due to unseasonal rainfall in March-April.Taking to Twitter, CM Khattar said, "Today, fulfilling the promise made to my farmer brothers, I have sent compensation of Rs 181 crore directly to their bank accounts through just one click, for their damaged crops. In March-April 2023, we had announced compensation for the crop damaged due to unseasonal rains in the month of May, under which today the compensation amount has been released to 67,758 farmers of the state."With inputs from agenciesRead all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.