DH Latest NewsDH NEWSLatest NewsNewsIndiaNEWSNews

Farmers dump garlic sacks into MP river amid low prices

Calls for allowing the export of the product were sparked by a video that appeared on social media on Thursday showing farmers in Madhya Pradesh purportedly tossing whole bags of garlic into a river because of poor pricing.

An organisation that represents farmers in Madhya Pradesh said that growers were receiving poor prices for their garlic production and asked the Center to permit export of the goods in order to stimulate the market. On social media, a video of farmers tossing sacks of garlic into the Parvati river from a bridge between the districts of Sehore and Rajgarh quickly gained popularity.

‘Traders are purchasing garlic in the Rs 1-4 per kilogram range. However, cost of production per kilogram was Rs 30-40. We are facing huge losses and so are dumping the produce’, farmer Jamshed Khan of Phulmogra village claimed.

According to the KSS, one quintal (100 kg) of garlic costs between Rs 2,500 and Rs 3,000 to produce, but only fetches between Rs 300 and Rs 600 per quintal.

Following a protest, farmers headed by Suryapal Singh Thakur delivered a note to the Jawar tehsildar. In the best interests of the farmers, an urgent export of onions and garlic was requested in the note addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and state Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

As per the memorandum, one quintal of onions costs Rs 2,000 to produce, yet they sell for between Rs 500 and Rs 800 on the open market. Farmers on strike stated that if the problem was not resolved soon, they will protest in front of their local MLAs, MPs, and the state Assembly.

shortlink

Post Your Comments


Back to top button