Centre's discussion with farmers remain inconclusive, next round of talks to be held on March 19

New Delhi: Talks between the protesting farmers and a central team, on various issues including a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price on crops, remain inconclusive on Saturday and the next round of talks will be held on March 19 at Chandigarh.

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Chouhan, who led the central team in the meeting, told reporters that "The discussion was good. We put forth the priorities of the Modi government, which is about farmers' welfare.

"We have also heard what farmer leaders had to say. This discussion will continue. The next meeting will be held in Chandigarh on March 19."

Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi was also present in the meeting. Farmers' delegation was comprising Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher while Punjab Cabinet ministers Harpal Singh Cheema, Gurmeet Singh Khuddian and Lal Chand Kataruchak were also present.

Emerging from the meeting, Punjab Minister Harpal Singh Cheema told reporters that, "The meeting was centered around the legal guarantee of MSP. All the farmer leaders put forth their views for the same. It was a good discussion, and I hope that discussion will continue to be positive."

Farmers leader Dallewal (70) has been on a fast-unto-death at the Khanauri border point between Punjab and Haryana since November 26, 2024, to press the Centre to accept the agitating farmers' demands.

Farmers under the banner of SKM (Non-Political) and KMM have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 last year after security forces did not allow them to march to Delhi to press for their various demands.

Besides a legal guarantee for MSP, the farmers are demanding debt waiver, pension for farmers and farm labourers, no hike in electricity tariffs, withdrawal of police cases against farmers, and justice for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence in Uttar Pradesh.

Reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, and compensation to the families of farmers who died during a previous agitation in 2020-21 are also part of their demands.

The discussions on February 14 came after a year-long protest by farmers, centred mainly around the demand for a legal guarantee for MSP on farm produce.