India, Jan. 6 -- Hundreds of potato farmers from the Sadiya region of Tinsukia district in Assam on Monday blocked a national highway by dumping tonnes of their produce on the road to protest falling prices and alleged exploitation by middlemen, officials said.

Around 300 farmers, who arrived on foot along with seven to eight tractors, unloaded potatoes on the highway at the 8 Mile area, bringing traffic to a standstill. The protest led to long queues of vehicles on both sides of the busy stretch as farmers raised slogans against the state government over the lack of safeguards for cultivators.

The agitators alleged that despite Sadiya being one of Assam's major potato-producing belts, traders and middlemen were buying potatoes at only ...