NEW DELHI: Indian authorities on Tuesday deployed heavy security to stop thousands of protesting farmers who were marching toward New Delhi to renew their demands for assured crop prices, in a repeat of 2021 protests when they camped on the capital's outskirts for more than a year. Police sealed multiple entry points into New Delhi by erecting barriers of barbed wire, spikes and cement blocks. The farmers, who began their march from northern Haryana and Punjab states, are asking for a guaranteed minimum support price for all farm produce. The government protects agricultural producers against any sharp fall in farm prices by announcing a minimum purchase price on certain essential crops at the beginning of the sowing season, taking into account the cost of production. Farmers form the most influential voting bloc in India and politicians have long considered it unwise to alienate them.

Source: Manila Times February 13, 2024 16:22 UTC