2,000 farmers march towards Bhopal with bedding and cooking material
Bhopal: Nearly 2,000 farmers carrying sacks of grain, rolled-up bedding, cooking utensils and a week’s food marched into the outskirts of Bhopal after breaking through police barricades, escalating a procurement dispute into one of the biggest confrontations faced by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s government this year.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the farmers, representing 19 organisations under the banner of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), have vowed not to leave until the government agrees to procure 100% of Madhya Pradesh’s moong crop and addresses grievances over fertiliser distribution.
The procession reached districts on Bhopal’s southern edge on Tuesday night, where police had deployed multiple layers of barricades. Authorities initially blocked the march, triggering a sit-in. As tensions mounted in the evening, barricades were removed and the convoy advanced through Obaidullaganj and Raisen district towards the capital.
Police again erected barricades at toll plazas and the Mandideep border and urged leaders to submit a memorandum instead of entering Bhopal. The march was triggered by demands for assured procurement of moong at the Minimum Support Price (MSP). Farmers’ groups said while the Centre has announced 100% MSP procurement for tur, urad and masur, moong procurement continues under the Price Support Scheme, capped at 25% of a state’s estimated production. They said the ceiling forces them to sell most of the harvest in the open market at rates far below the MSP of Rs 8,768 per quintal for the 2026-27 season.
“We have been mobilising for over 20 days now. We had no option but to protest after we did not hear from the government despite sending multiple representations,” said farmer leader Santosh Patwari. “The farmers are unable to get a profitable rate for the sale of their moong produce, and we have no option but to go to the CM’s residence.”
The mobilisation began in Narmadapuram at Sethani Ghat. Farmers’ organisations also alleged the administration was trying to prevent supporters from reaching Bhopal by placing barricades on roads in Raisen, Vidisha, Harda, Narmadapuram and Budhni. The protest reflects wider discontent over procurement delays, quantity caps, registration problems and recurring fertiliser shortages.
Additional SP Hoshangabad, Anil Sharma, said, “The last point of the protest will be maintained at Hoshangabad, and we are constantly talking to the farmers to address their demands in a peaceful manner.” The agitation presents another political challenge for the Yadav government, which earlier this year diluted its proposed land-pooling policy for the 2028 Simhastha after sustained protests by farmers in Ujjain.
