Rajasthan farmers block railroad in Hanumangarh over unsold wheat
Farmers in Hanumangarh, Rajasthan, stepped up their protest on Saturday by blocking a key railroad track for about an hour.
They're upset about unsold wheat piling up in local markets and want the government to extend buying deadlines and increase how much wheat it buys from them.
Earlier, they'd already blocked roads and held sit-ins outside the local administration office.
Officials raise procurement to 8L MT
Even though officials said Hanumangarh would be allotted procurement capacity for 8 lakh bags, and the wheat procurement limit was raised to 8 lakh metric tons, farmers say it's still not enough, especially with wheat area up nearly 6% and overall output higher than last year.
Authorities have promised that wheat buying will continue until targets are met and asked for time until June 10 to sort things out.
But farmer leaders warned they would launch a fresh protest at the district Collectorate on June 10 if assurances are not fulfilled.