A farmer in Maharashtra had to sell his produce of 750 kg of onion for only Rs. 1,064. This means he only got a little over a rupee per kg. The farmer, in a protesting move, has sent his earnings to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“I produced 750 kg of onion in this season but was offered a rate of Rs 1 per kg at Niphad wholesale market last week. “Finally I could negotiate a deal for Rs 1.40 per kg and received Rs 1,064 for 750 kg. It was painful to see such paltry returns on four months of toil. Hence I have donated Rs 1,064 to Disaster Relief Fund of the PMO as a protest. I had to pay additional Rs 54 for sending it by money order,” Sanjay Sathe, the farmer, told news agency PTI.
“I do not represent any political party. But I am angry because of the government’s apathy towards our woes,” he added.
Also read: Congress CM will listen to your ‘Mann ki Baat’: Rahul Gandhi in Rajasthan
Resident of Niphad tehsil in Nashik district, Sathe was one of the ‘progressive farmers’ who was selected by the Union Agriculture Ministry for an interacting with then U.S. President Barack Obama when he visited India in 2010.
Nashik in Maharashtra accounts for 50 per cent of onion production in India.