The farmers associated with All Indian Kisan Sabha (AIKS) will be participating in a 250-km Nashik-Mumbai march, demanding a complete loan waiver for the farmers of State. The march will commence on Tuesday and hopes to arrive on March 12 in Mumbai.
The AIKS, which is affiliated with CPI (M), wants loan waiver to be provided to all the farmers in the State. It also wants cotton farmers, who have suffered crop losses due to pink bollworms attack to be adequately compensated. About one lakh farmers are expected to participate in the march, which will pass through major agriculture and tribal belts of Nashik and Thane district before arriving in Mumbai.
General Secretary of AIKS Ajit Navale told BusinessLine that the farmers in the State were promised a loan waiver package of ₹34,000 crore by the Fadnavis government but in reality much lesser amount has been deposited in the farmers accounts.
“The Centre is talking about farmers getting the sale price, which is 1.5 times the cost of cultivation. This formula should be immediately implemented in the State. Cotton farmers have also faced massive crop losses due to pink bollworm attack. The cottonseed companies are actually liable to pay to the farmers. But they have not provided the compensation, therefore, the State government must compensate the farmers adequately. If the demands are not met, then the farmers will surround the Maharashtra State Assembly (gherao) building, he said.