Protesting farmers to discuss India govt's offer of minimum safety price on 5 crops

NEW DELHI, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of protesting farmers said on Monday they would discuss the Indian government's proposal to offer minimum safety price (MSP) on five crops.

"The central (federal) ministers made their opinion public last night. Our leadership will also discuss this in our forums and take opinion from experts," Sarwan Singh Pandher, a farmer leader, told media.

Early on Monday, federal minister Piyush Goyal announced the government has proposed to buy three pulses, maize, and cotton crops from the farmers at the minimum safety price (MSP) for the next five years.

The MSP fixed by the government will act as a safety for farmers to prevent them from losses in case of drop in crop prices.

Goyal, who met the farmers along with fellow ministers, said government agencies will sign a contract with the farmers for the next five years for the proposed procurement and there will be no limit on the buying quantity.

The farmers began their march to Delhi last Tuesday. However, they were stopped by police who had heavily barricaded roads and fired tear gas shells to disperse them at the Shambhu border in Haryana, about 200 km from Delhi.

Since then, scores of farmers with large convoys of tractors are camping there.

The call for Delhi march was given by farmer unions to increase pressure on the federal government to fulfil their demands which include the MSP for over two dozen crops, pensions for farmers and farm labourers, farm debt waiver, withdrawal of police cases, compensation for families of farmers who died during the previous agitation.

Approximately 200 farmer organizations are part of the protest plan.

India's opposition leaders have also extended support to the protesting farmers and condemned the government's action to use police force to stop farmers.

The farmer protests have erupted at a time when India is due to hold general elections this year and the country's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a record third term.

Farmers in India form a considerable voting bloc.