Maharashtra farmers protest by spilling milk, dumping vegetables on road

MUMBAI: A section of farmers in Maharashtra decided to go on a strike from Thursday, stopping supply of milk, fruits, poultry and vegetables to neighbouring cities, to press for their various demands, including the long-pending loan waiver package. The farmers took their protest to a new level by dumping vegetables and emptying a milk van onto the road.  Two tankers of milk were spilled on the road in Shirdi by the protesters. If the strike continues beyond a couple of days, major cities like Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Nagpur and others may experience severe shortages of milk, fresh fruits, vegetables, foodgrains and other items of daily requirements, IANS quoted Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana leader and MP Raju Shetti. On Tuesday, various farmer bodies of the state reportedly met Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, but the talks failed. "Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will have a 'plan B' ready to face any situation if farmers stop sending vegetables and milk to Mumbai," news agency PTI quoted Maharashtra agriculture minister Pandurang Fundkar. The farmers' demands include complete waiver of farm loans, free electricity, appropriate remunerative prices for their produce, grant for irrigation and higher price for milk and implementation of the M.S. Swaminathan Committee recommendations. Mumbai, the country's biggest city with a population of around 17 million, gets around 160 tonnes of vegetables from only Nashik daily, besides other parts of Maharashtra, which started declining from early Thursday, leading to a 20-30 per cent hike in retail prices.