Maharashtra farmers from numerous villages across Maharashtra are on a strike from Thursday demanding loan waiver from the government. In the protest, these farmers will stop sending their produce to the markets. They have been seeking a loan waiver and a better price for their produce that have been going unmet.
The farmers involved in the strike are from villages in Pune, Nashik, Junnar, Satara and Kolhapur. They have decided that they will not let any produce to be sent to the Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMC) markets from Thursday. Their strike calls for a complete ban on the supply of milk, vegetables, fruits, and grains. If it lasts for more than 2-3 days, it might have a great impact on the markets across the state.
Reportedly, APMC across the nation is likely to remain empty from today. The farmers have also decided that they will not go to their farms to get ready for the Kharif crops.
A delegation of farmers met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday but no concrete solution was decided. “We do not want to cause hardship to farmers by destroying the produce. Therefore, many of us have decided to open up our cold storage units for local farmers where they can store their produce till a solution is found,” Jayant Deokar, a farmer from Pimpalgaon, said, reports Indian Express.
Devendra Fadnavis had earlier declared that they will give a loan waiver but refused to announce a date.
