Centre to Hold Sixth Round of Talks with Agitating Farmers on February 14
New Delhi, Feb 4 (PTI) — The Centre has announced that the sixth round of discussions with protesting farmers from Punjab and Haryana will take place on February 14, 2025. This comes as part of ongoing efforts to address the concerns of the farmers, who have been agitating for a range of demands, including a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Prices (MSP).
In a written response to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Agriculture, Ramnath Thakur, confirmed the scheduled date for the next round of talks, noting that the previous round, which took place in January, failed to reach an agreement on the farmers' broader demands. While the government proposed a five-year plan for the procurement of specific crops at MSP, consensus on the farmers' call for a legal guarantee for MSP remained elusive.
Thakur further highlighted that the issues raised by the agitating farmers are currently under judicial review by the Supreme Court, which has also set up a committee to look into the matter.
The Centre's engagement with the farmers' protest began on February 8, 2024, and since then, discussions have been held on various dates, including February 12, 15, and 18 in 2024, followed by another round on January 18, 2025. This will be the sixth round of discussions in the ongoing effort to resolve the standoff that reignited in February 2024.