Sunflower seed agitation in Haryana brings MSP problem to the fore again

The sunflower seed agitation in Haryana brings the problem of MSPs and their administration to the fore again

A few days ago, sunflower farmers in Haryana were agitating for the minimum support price (MSP), as market rates slumped in recent months.

The MSP for sunflower seeds for the 2022-23 season was Rs 6,400 per quintal (raised to Rs 6,760 for the 2023-24 season), but the price the farmers got was just Rs 4,000-5,000.

The state government was willing to give an interim relief of around Rs 1,000 per quintal under the Bhawantar Bharpai Yojana (Haryana is among the very few states that have a system of price-deficiency payment for some crops), but the farmers wanted full procurement at