SKM leader warns of 'satyagraha' over soybean procurement price

Indore, Sep 24 (PTI) A leader of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Tuesday warned of launching a satyagraha to press for the demand for procurement of soybean at Rs 6,000 per quintal in Madhya Pradesh.

Shiv Kumar Sharma, a member of the SKM's coordination committee and chief of Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Mahasangh, said the satyagraha will be much bigger than the 2020-2021 farmers' agitation.

"We demand the state procure soybean at at least Rs 6,000 per quintal. We want to resolve this issue through dialogue with the government. But if the government does not find a solution, we will be forced to resort to satyagraha," he told reporters in Indore.

Sharma claimed the farmers' satyagraha now will be "many times bigger" than the agitation they staged in Delhi against the three farm laws in 2020-21, and preparations are underway for the stir.

The Union government fixed a minimum support price (MSP) of soybean (yellow) at Rs 4,892 per quintal for 2024-25.

Sharma said farmers have also been demanding a hike in the MSP of cotton and maize, citing an increase in the cost of cultivation. PTI HWP MAS ARU