New Delhi: A major protest by farmers seeking remuneration for sugarcane prices is expected to take place soon in Haryana, informed officials at a national security review meeting recently convened by the Intelligence Bureau in the capital. Privy to matters discussed at the meet, an official said the "unaffordable remuneration for sugarcane" obtained a prominent place in the line of issues. The meeting was attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, top intelligence officials and State DGPs and IGPs.
This comes in the backdrop of surging demands for fair prices in Haryana where farmers, since last week, have stopped supplying sugar to all 14 sugar mills in the state. Uttarakhand has also seen similar scenes, with farmer leaders having decided to take out a tractor rally to support their Haryana counterparts in the struggle to secure a price hike.
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"We will take out rallies with at least 1,800 tractors in support of our demand for a price hike of sugarcane. This will coincide with the upcoming Republic Day," said Amarjeet Singh, a leader of the Kishan Morcha in Uttarakhand. Farmer leaders in other States are also planning to organise protest rallies over various other demands.
Speaking to ETV Bharat, senior farmer leader Dr Raja Ram Tripathy said that several farmers' organisations have decided to take out a protest rally in New Delhi later this year in October demanding Minimum Support Price (MSP). "As many as 223 organisations will come together on October 12 to organise a dharna demanding MSP guarantee law," he said.
As per estimates from the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), the country faced a cumulative loss of around Rs 60,000 crore. In addition, the protest against three farm bills also incurred a loss of Rs 2,731 crore in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan to the National Highways Authorities of India (NHAI), officials further stated.
