Hundreds of farmers on Thursday protested in the Merapani area of Assam’s Golaghat district against a Nagaland government agency circular asking them “not to undertake any farming activity” because the area they were cultivating for decades had been allotted for oil palm cultivation.

Around 1,200 farmers from Merapani will be affected by the March 22 circular issued by the State Seed Farm, Merapani, under the Nagaland government.

Moreover, the seed farm is located under the disputed area belt (DAB), claimed by both the Assam and Nagaland governments.

The farmers on Thursday rallied in protest to submit a memorandum asking to maintain the status quo in the DAB and ask the Nagaland administration to remove the fencing around the proposed land.

Bidyut Saikia, KMSS general secretary, told The Telegraph: “The matter is serious. The farmers who were cultivating in the seed farm have been asked to stop their activity. If this is not checked, the farmers will lose their livelihood. The proposed palm oil plantation will also severely impact the water resources in the farm and nearby areas. An oil palm requires 300 litres of water a day.”