Haryana farmers block highway over paddy procurement delays; Tikait warns of major stir

Farmers in Haryana blocked a national highway in Yamunanagar on Sunday to protest delays in paddy procurement and lifting, with around 22 lakh quintals of paddy stuck in mandis. The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) led the protest, and its national spokesperson Rakesh Tikait warned of a major agitation if issues remain unresolved within a week. Only about 2.5 lakh quintals of paddy have been purchased so far, with negligible lifting, and no buying occurred on Sunday due to the holiday. Protests also took place in Kurukshetra's Pihowa, Karnal's Asandh and Gharaunda, and Ambala. Farmers demanded the Deputy Commissioner's presence in Yamunanagar, and after 30 minutes of talks, the SDM assured them their demands would be forwarded to the government. BKU has called a mahapanchayat in Shahabad for Monday. Separately, BKU (Chadhuni) questioned the timing of a 22 lakh-acre data mismatch on the Meri Fasal Mera Byora portal, closed on July 31, which officials said they would verify after September 24. In Narwana, millers are buying paddy at up to 150 rupees per quintal below the minimum support price of 2,461 rupees.