Brace for veggie, milk crisis as 1.5cr farmers go on strike
Demand loan waiver and remunerative prices
For the first time in Maharashtra, around 1.5 crore farmers will go on strike from Thursday, June 1, in protest against the government’s apathy towards their plight. Mumbai and other cities and towns will feel the impact of the agitation as the supply of vegetables, fruits and milk will dry up if the agitation gathers steam.
Markets, though, have supplies for the next two to three days and consumers will feel the pinch only after that. By Wednesday evening, most milk collection centres in the fringe areas of Mumbai had put up notices asking dairy farmers not to bring their produce from June 1.
Farmers took the decision to go on strike after talks between their representatives and the government failed on Tuesday. Most of the agitating farmers are from the Marathwada region, Ahmednagar and Nashik. Several powerful outfits like the Shetkari Sanghatana, Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana and most political parties are supporting the strike. The principal demands of the farmers include waiver of farm loans and remunerative prices for their produce.
Shivajirao Suryawanshi, leader of the farmers, announced the decision to strike soon after he met chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday night. Sadabhau Khot, minister of state for agriculture was present in that meeting, but Cabinet minister Pandurang Fundkar was not even invited for the crucial talks. In fact, Suryawanshi took objection to the presence of Khot in the meeting. “He did nothing to alleviate the sufferings of the farmers. His leader Raju Shetti also did nothing,” Suryawanshi said.
Sources said that the meeting drew a blank as Suryawanshi wanted Fadnavis to announce a loan waiver scheme.
The state government is confident that the strike will be a flop show. Pandurang Fundkar, Minister for Agriculture said that farmers cannot afford to go on a long strike. “Vegetables and milk are perishable items and farmers can least afford to suffer such a huge loss,” Fundkar argued, adding, “At best it will be a token strike.”
The minister also said that no more than 10,000 farmers will participate in the agitation. There are 1.5 crore agriculturists in Maharashtra out of which only 1.5 lakh are based in Nashik and Ahmednagar regions. “I am sure the chief minister will have a plan ready to tackle any crisis that may appear,” Fundkar said.
The state government is closely monitoring the situation. Minister for Civil Supplies Girish Bapat told Free Press Journal that they were “watching the situation and supportive action will be taken by the government” when required. Maharashtra State Market Committees Cooperative Federation Ltd (MSMCCFL) president Diliprao Mohite-Patil said that all 307 APMCs in Maharashtra would remain open on June 1.
Farmer and hotelier Ashokrao Dherenge-Patil said that their patience had been tested and the strike would be a huge success. “There are no government-fixed rates for vegetables, fruits and even milk,” he argued. Dinkar Aher, a farmer, said that vegetable prices were steadily going down and they are suffering huge losses. “Truckloads of vegetables, especially bhindi from Karnataka, are arriving in Pune APMCs and prices have dipped to Rs 15/kg. An agitation is the only solution,” he said.