Potato farmers in UP stage protest, demand better price for produce

Mathura: Scores of farmers on Tuesday staged a protest at the Mahaban Tahsil office in Mathura, demanding better price for potato. [caption id=“attachment_3752789” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AFP[/caption] “The minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 487 per quintal for potato, declared by the government, is inadequate as it does not cover even the cost of production,” said Buddha Singh Pradhan, district president of the Bhartiya Kisan Union. Hundreds of farmers from nearby villages took part in the protest. They threw 500 bags of potato at the Tahsil office gate. The farmers called off the protest after sub-divisional magistrate Garima Singh assured them that the government would be apprised of their demands. “The demands of the farmers include MSP of at least Rs 1,200 per quintal for potato, subsidy in agriculture inputs and pension to every farmer,” Singh said.