Farmers protest in Beed seeking hike in MSP for cotton, tur and soybean

Beed: Hundreds of farmers held a protest in Beed on Thursday seeking substantial hike in minimum support prices (MSP) for cotton, soybean and tur.

The agitators, who marched to the collectorate under the banner of Farmers' Rights Movement, warned of an indefinite agitation if their demands are not met, including MSP of Rs 12,000 per quintal for cotton and tur, and Rs 7,000 per quintal for soybean.

They sought removal of procurement restrictions by Cotton Corporation of India, strict action against market committees and traders purchasing crops below assured prices, and compensation for losses incurred due to distress sales.

Farmers are facing severe financial crisis as crop prices have remained stagnant for over a decade while input costs have doubled, they added.

They gave a memorandum marked to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Ministers Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde, Agriculture Minister Datta Bharne and the district administration.

"Prices of fertilisers, seeds, pesticides, diesel, electricity and labour have increased sharply over the past 14 years, but farm produce continues to fetch nearly the same rates. This imbalance has pushed farmers into mounting debt, making it increasingly difficult to meet household expenses, education costs and marriage obligations," the memorandum stated.