Oil plant of 20,000 metric tonnes to be set up in Kurukshetra for sunflower farmers: Haryana Chief Minister

Chandigarh (Haryana) [India], June 12 : Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has announced to set up an oil factory, with a production capacity of 20,000 metric tonnes, in Kurukshetra in order to give relief to agitating sunflower farmers.

The CM said that Haryana State Co-operative Supply and Marketing Federation Limited (HAFED) is buying sunflower seeds from farmers at Rs 4800 and the government is also giving interim assistance of Rs 1000 under the 'Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana' to the growers.

"We have assured them (farmers) that we will look at the (market) rate and will also see how farmers can get a price closer to MSP. We will set up an (oil) plant on four acres of land in that (Kurukshetra) area with a capacity of 20,000 metric tonnes. And when a plant of such a large capacity will be set up, farmers will get the benefit," Khattar said on Sunday.

Notably, on June 6 farmers blocked the Delhi-Chandigarh national highway demanding Minimum Ssupport Price (MSP) for sunflower seeds.

The protest call was given by Bhartiya Kisan Union (Chaduni) chief Gurnam Singh Chaduni.

The protesting farmers claimed that the government was not buying sunflower seeds at the minimum support price, and as a result, they were forced to sell their produce to private buyers at around Rs 4,000 per quintal against Rs 6,400 MSP.