Dairy farmers in Maharashtra continued with their protests on Thursday, a day after the Maharashtra government began negotiations with the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, which is leading the demonstrations, ANI reported.
The workers of the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana demonstrated in Nagpur, while farmers blocked state highways in Solapur and Kolhapur along with their families and cattle.
The dairy farmers have been protesting for the last four days, demanding a Rs 5 per litre increase in the procurement price of milk.
On Wednesday, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced the government would withdraw cases filed against farmers during the agitation. The chief minister, however, specified that the amnesty would not apply to protestors who are not farmers and those who have been charged with indulging in violence during the stir.
The strike has affected the procurement of milk by dairies in the state’s big cities, including capital Mumbai, the Hindustan Times reported. The city is getting 20% less milk, and though the dairies have stocks the situation is likely to worsen from Friday.
State Irrigation Minister Girish Mahajan met Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana leader Raju Shetti late on Wednesday evening. Shetti asked the government to provide the farmers direct subsidy of Rs 5 per litre, and asked it to guarantee that they will get procurement price of Rs 25 per litre.
“The agitation will continue until the state government ensures that dairy farmers get at least Rs 25 per litre as procurement price of milk, which is necessary for their survival,” the Hindustan Times quoted Shetti as saying.
On Monday, protestors stopped and emptied milk tankers on roads in several districts of Maharashtra, and damaged at least five milk vans in Pune. “We are not happy to waste milk but the government is protecting dairies and not considering farmers’ woes,” Shetti had said then. “We have decided to protest out of compulsion as other ways to convince the government failed.”
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