Thousands of farmers and tribespeople are marching from Nashik district in North Maharashtra to Mumbai, demanding immediate financial relief of Rs 600 per quintal for onion growers, 12 hours of uninterrupted electricity supply, and the cancellation of agriculture loans. The protesters were captured on foot in social media videos as they entered Thane district on Wednesday.
On Sunday, protesters began a foot march in support of their demands from Dindori town in Nashik district, about 200 kilometres from Mumbai. They have also sought to stabilize the prices of other commodities such as soybeans, cotton, and tur (a type of pulse), as well as provide immediate relief to farmers affected by unseasonal rain and other climate-related disasters.
According to CPI(M) MLA Vinod Nikole, the march has crossed Kasara town in the Thane district, which is adjacent to Mumbai.
They are expected to arrive in Mumbai on March 20 to meet with representatives of the protesting cultivators, he said.
Nashik is one of the country’s largest onion cultivation hubs. However, prices for the kitchen staple have plummeted in Maharashtra, leaving farmers with very little compensation for their crops.
Onion farmers in Maharashtra who have been severely impacted by a sharp decline in the price of the commodity were given an ex-gratia relief payment of Rs 300 per quintal earlier on Monday.
Chief minister Eknath Shinde stated in the state assembly that the government will provide relief to onion growers.
Representatives of the state government must meet them, protesters have demanded.
