Farmers under the banner of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) are demanding to take the agriculture sector out of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The issue has been taken on the streets of Monday as farmers plotted their tractors along the highways at many places in Punjab and Haryana, observing the ‘Quit WTO Day’.
Not only SKM, but other farmer unions including Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), and SKM (non-political_ spearheading the ‘Dili Chalor’ March also burnt the effigies of WTO in villages and at Shambhu and Khanauri on Punjab’s border with Haryana. these protests came against the backdrop of the 13th Ministerial Conference of TO which started on Monday in Abu Dhabi (UAE) and will continue till February 29.
SKM farmers came on tractors from their villages and parked the vehicles on one side of the highways with banners of ‘Quit WTO’ on them.
“We demand that agriculture should be taken out of WTO agreement. It is high time the government understands the concerns of farmers,” said Sukhmandar Singh, president of BKU (Rajewal) from Fazilka district.
“Farmers have realised the threats to agriculture sector due to the agreements of India with WTO. It is high time the consumers also understand them,” said Darshan Pal, member, national coordination committee (NCC), SKM.
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