Farmers stage protest outside Food Corporation of India godowns against new agriculture laws

NEW DELHI: Farmers marked the ‘FCI Bachao Diwas’ by staging protests outside offices and godowns of the Food Corporation of India across the country in support of remunerative minimum support price for crops and other demands, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha said on Monday.

The SKM, an umbrella body of over 40 farmer unions, said protests were held in different parts of the country. The union also submitted a memorandum addressed to Union Minister for Food and Consumer Affairs Piyush Goyal.

The Food Corporation of India (FCI) office in Noida was gheraoed by the farmers, whereas in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan, the protesters held demonstrations outside FCI godowns.The protesters also submitted memoranda addressed to the union consumer affairs minister regarding strengthening the procurement system of the FCI.

Their demands included withdrawal of a decision to submit jamabandhi for procurement of wheat, rolling back direct payments to farmers in their bank accounts and remunerative minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

Meanwhile, farmers from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana will join the Mitthi Satyagraha Yatra which will culminate at the protest sites at Delhi borders on Tuesday. Similarly, the Mitthi Yatra that started in Chhattisgarh on April 3 is also expected to reach Singhu border on Tuesday.

Farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been camping at various border points of Delhi demanding a repeal of three contentious farm laws brought by the Centre and a legal guarantee to MSP on crops.

(With agency inputs)