Farmers in MP should hold talks with state govt: Rupala

Union minister Parshottam Rupala today said farmers in Madhya Pradesh should take a cue from their counterparts in Maharashtra and hold talks with the state government to find a solution to their problems.
"The way protesting farmers in Maharashtra held talks with the state government to get their demands fulfilled, those in Madhya Pradesh and other states should try to find a solution to their problems by establishing dialogues with their respective governments," Rupala said.
The Union Minister of State for Agriculture was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function at Tillaur Khurd village, around 20 km from the district headquarter.

Rupala refused to give any direct answer when asked if the Centre would implement the Swaminathan Commission report for the welfare of cultivators, a demand of the farmers in MP.
"We are taking into consideration all the issues and we need to find a way to all these problems through a dialogue," he said.
Rupala said, "We are keeping a tab on the farmers' agitation (in MP). I will put forth the issues of the farmers before the departments concerned."

The minister said MP's agriculture growth rate was the highest in the country and the state was giving loans at zero per cent interest to farmers.

Farmers in western Madhya Pradesh launched their protest on June 1, demanding loan waiver and higher prices for their produce among other things.
The protest took a violent turn on June 6, when five persons were killed in police firing at Mandsaur.
Facing an agrarian unrest, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday launched an indefinite fast here with an appeal for peace and met farmer leaders.
He ended the fast yesterday saying that peace has returned to the state.
While no fresh violence was reported in the last couple of days, some farmers' organisations have vowed to continue the struggle till their demands were met.

In the neighbouring Maharashtra, farmers had launched protests on June 1 to press for their demands, including loan waiver.
The farmers called off their protests yesterday after the government announced a loan waiver for farmers and decided to form a committee to decide the criteria of debt relief.