NEW DELHI: Amid the ongoing farmers' protest against the new farm laws, yet another farmer grouping FIFA on Thursday met Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and extended support for the legislations.
The Federation of Indian FPOs and Aggregators (FIFA) is the sixth group of farmers that has extended support for the laws in the last two weeks.
The previous groups were from Haryana, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.
FIFA represents 15 states and around 500 farmer producers organisations (FPOs) in the country.
"They (FIFA) expressed their support for the recent agricultural reforms by the Government of India. They thanked the minister for the enabling environment which these Acts have created to scale business of FPOs to benefit the small and marginal farmers," an official statement said.
Members narrated their experiences in which they described how small farmers have benefitted from the recent reforms and agricultural laws, it added.
Meanwhile, another group of farmers reached Noida on Thursday and attempted to move to Delhi to join the bigger stir against the new agri laws but was prohibited by police deployed in a large number near the Chilla border.
Scores of members of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ambavat) faction were stopped near Mahamaya flyover on the Noida-Delhi Link Road, with the development obstructing traffic movement on the key route, according to police officials.
"The Noida-Delhi Link Road via Chilla is partially closed. Movement from Delhi to Noida is allowed but not otherwise, due to the farmers' stir," a Noida Traffic Police official told PTI.
"Commuters have been advised to opt the DND or the Kalindi Kunj route for travelling to and from Delhi," the official said, adding that the route has been diverted from Dalit Prerna Sthal to the DND flyway.
While the bigger group of BKU (Ambavat) protestors was stopped from going to Delhi, the faction's 22 members were taken to the police line where they submitted a memorandum of their demands to the sub-divisional magistrate of Dadri, according to an official statement.
These protestors were stopped in view of the law-and-order situation amid ongoing protests by other farmers unions at Noida-Delhi border, the statement issued by the district police read.
Meanwhile, protestors from various districts of western Uttar Pradesh and chiefly belonging to the BKU (Bhanu) and the BKU (Lok Shakti) stayed put at the Chilla border and the Dalit Prerna Sthal, respectively.
BKU (Lok Shakti) members paid tributes to a 65-year-old Sikh preacher supporting the farmers' agitation who allegedly committed suicide near the Singhu border on Wednesday.
"BKU (Lok Shakti) chief Master Sheoraj Singh along with several members of the union assembled at the gate number 5 of the Dalit Prerna Sthal and paid tributes to Sant Ram Singh, who shot himself dead, and 16 other martyrs who have laid down their lives for the farmers' cause," BKU (Lok Shakti) national spokesperson Shailesh Kumar Giri said.
"The Centre's three new anti-farmer laws pushed them into taking the extreme step. The farmers of the country will always remember their sacrifice," Giri alleged.
At the Chilla border, Yogesh Pratap Singh, the UP unit chief of the BKU (Bhanu), remained on hunger strike which started on December 14 along with some supporters, according to a protestor belonging to his faction.
The protestors who have gathered at the Noida border want to proceed to Delhi to join the bigger stir called by farmers from Punjab and Haryana.
Thousands of farmers are currently staying put at Delhi's borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh in protest against the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
They have expressed apprehension that these laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the "mercy" of big corporations.
However, the government has maintained that the new laws will bring farmers better opportunities and usher in new technologies in agriculture.
Government officials said efforts are being made for next round of talks between representatives of the Centre and the farmers so that the logjam over the new laws could end.