A group of farmers on Friday blocked the national highway near Shahabad in Haryana's Kurukshetra district demanding that the government immediately begin paddy procurement. The procurement of Kharif crops, including paddy, in Haryana will start from October 1.

Some protesting farmers even tried to remove police barricades on the road.?The protest was led by Haryana BKU (Chaduni) chief Gurnam Singh Chaduni.?Addressing the farmers at the protest site, Chaduni said the government should immediately begin the procurement process.

The protest caused inconvenience to commuters using the highway and police had to divert traffic.?Meanwhile, according to an official statement here on Thursday, crops such as paddy, millet, maize, moong, sunflower, groundnut, til, arhar and urad will be procured during the marketing season 2022-23.?Adequate arrangements have been made for smooth procurement in mandis, it stated.

(With PTI inputs)